Liberals are petrified that President Donald J. Trump’s Supreme Court pick to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy could wind up being the deciding vote needed to overturn Roe v. Wade and send the issue of abortion back to the states. One Massachusetts state senator recently introduced what she calls the ‘NASTY Women Act' in an attempt to ensure that abortion remains legal and previously unenforced state laws do not block access for women seeking abortions.
In January, Interim State Senate President Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) introduced the Negating Archaic Statutes Targeting Young Women bill –aka ‘NASTY Women’ – to prevent Massachusetts laws such as an outright ban on abortion from being reinforced should the Supreme Court ruling Roe be overturned. The law would negate any previous Massachusetts law overturned by Roe v. Wade and subsequent High Court rulings.
In 1973, when the Court ruled in favor of Roe, hundreds of state laws became unconstitutional but never technically repealed at the state level. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, pro-abortion advocates such as Chandler worry that “If Roe v. Wade were to be rescinded … then there are no safeguards for women.”
'Nasty Women' is in reference to a 2016 presidential campaign remark made by then-GOP candidate Donald Trump. He referred to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton as "such a nasty woman" during a debate. The NASTY Women Act passed the Senate unanimously and is currently being considered by the commonwealth's House.
The bill has outside support as well. “We are working furiously in Massachusetts to ensure that whatever happens on the Supreme Court, access to abortion in the commonwealth will not be in jeopardy,” Rebecca Hart Holder of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts told the Boston Herald.
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But, there are plenty of pro-life advocates who see this as a misguided attempt for Democrats and pro-choice Republicans. “The federal right to abortion was wrongly rooted in a legal fiction,” Massachusetts Family Institute president Andrew Beckwith rebuts. “Abortion is really fighting a losing battle.”
President Trump will announce his second Supreme Court nominee on Monday July 9th.
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