More than 1 Million Call on Senators to Oppose Gorsuch Nomination

WASHINGTON - Today, advocates delivered a petition with more than 1 million signatures from people across the country, urging their Senators to oppose the nomination of extremist Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Organizations present included Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Ultraviolet, NARAL, MoveOn, and others.

Statement from Cecile Richards, President, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch has an alarming history of interfering with reproductive rights and health. He has used his judicial power in ways that would block access to birth control and basic health care at Planned Parenthood -- and based on his record, we expect him to be just as hostile toward Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court has upheld the right to safe and legal abortion for more than 40 years, and as demonstrated by these more than 1 million petitions delivered today, the American people aren’t willing to go back.

“It is clear that the courts are going to be the last - and sometimes only - line of defense against dangerous and unconstitutional attacks on basic rights. At risk is a woman’s right to control her own body and access health care, the right to vote, and the right of all people in this country to be free from discrimination based on who they love, where they come from, their race, and their religious beliefs. We have one message for members of the Senate: Neil Gorsuch is not fit to protect the rights and freedoms of the American people.

The delivery comes a day after Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and more than 50 other reproductive rights, health and justice organizations sent a letter to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee urging them to oppose Gorsuch based on the threat he poses to reproductive rights. Among others, the groups pointed to the following examples of Gorsuch’s extreme and dangerous record related to reproductive health:

• As a judge on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Gorsuch ruled on numerous cases related to reproductive rights, and has been on the wrong side of every one of these decisions.

• Trump pledged to appoint anti-abortion judges to the Supreme Court, and Gorsuch has demonstrated an alarming history of using the courts to interfere with reproductive rights and health care -- even basic access to birth control.

• In Planned Parenthood Association of Utah v. Herbert, Gorsuch sided with a politician who defunded Planned Parenthood in Utah, denying people access to STI tests, cancer screening, sex education, and other preventive care.

• Gorsuch ruled in favor of the idea that corporations are people and believes that bosses should be able to impede their employees' access to birth control. In fact, he wants to go even further than the Hobby Lobby decision in blocking employees' access to insurance coverage for birth control.

• Gorsuch has a troubling record of opposing LGBTQ rights and ruled against an incarcerated transgender woman seeking access to medically necessary hormone treatment in Druley v. Patton.