GOP Senators Are Now Openly Admitting That Criminalizing Abortion Is Their SCOTUS Endgame

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As Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell signal that they will move forward quickly to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat, GOP senators aren’t even trying to hide what their endgame is.

In a tweet, GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said, “Two months ago, I pledged to vote only for #SCOTUS nominees who understand and acknowledge that Roe was wrongly decided. I stand by that commitment, and I call on my fellow Republican senators to take the same stand.”

Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz pointed to Hawley’s tweet as the latest proof that Republicans “are explicitly planning to criminalize abortion. They used to pretend that wasn’t the deal. But that’s the deal.”

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What’s even more frightening is that Hawley is on Trump’s list of potential nominees to fill the Supreme Court vacancy.

The GOP is no longer pretending

Republicans have spent decades sending up smoke signals that their endgame when it comes to the Supreme Court is to overturn Roe v. Wade. But as Sen. Schatz noted on Saturday, they at least tried to pretend otherwise.

Now, in the wake of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing, the GOP is no longer pretending. Overturning a women’s right to choose and effectively criminalizing abortion is their goal here, and they’re increasingly proud to admit it.

With Republicans now starting to say the quiet part loud, Democratic lawmakers must use every tool at their disposal to ensure that there will not be a vote on Ginsburg’s replacement between now and Inauguration Day 2021.

And in November, voters must make sure that the next Supreme Court justice is nominated by a Democratic president and confirmed by a blue Senate.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.