Abortion Activists Send Sen. Susan Collins Coat Hangers Ahead of Supreme Court Pick
Pro-choice activists are reportedly sending Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) coat hangers in an effort to push her to vote down any Supreme Court nominee who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that made abortion legal in America.
One Twitter user posted a picture of her Amazon receipt for 100 coat hangers with the caption: "Sending these to Senator Collins as a reminder of what her legacy could be."
#HangersforCollins Sending these to Senator Collins as a reminder of what her legacy could be. Yes, I used Amazon. Don't @ me. #SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/eSIKlqwX1K
— Ashley Long (@ImaginativeMom) July 1, 2018
People are also using the hashtag "HangersForCollins" to share their support of pro-choice efforts. The coat hanger is symbolic of the dangerous abortions women used to undergo before abortion was legalized by the Supreme Court.
Shortly after Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, Senator Collins went on ABC's This Week saying she would not confirm a candidate who would overturn Roe v. Wade out of respect for precedent.
"A candidate for this important position who would overturn Roe v. Wade would not be acceptable to me because that would indicate an activist agenda that I don't want to see a judge have," she said. "And that would indicate to me a failure to respect precedent, a fundamental tenet of our judicial system."
However, Americans United for Life President Catherine Foster pointed out that the Supreme Court does not have to respect precedent and has overturned legal rulings that institutionalized racism and segregation.
"Think about Dred Scott; think about separate but equal… all of these really shameful decisions in our nation's history and I believe that one day we're going to see Roe in that same list," she predicted.
When asked during a Fox News interview if he would appoint a pro-life Justice, President Donald Trump said many people are advising him against that decision.
"They're all saying, 'Don't do that. You don't do that. You shouldn't do that.' But I'm putting conservative people on," Trump also said.
"I'm very proud of Neil Gorsuch," he continued. "He has been outstanding; his opinions are so well-written, so brilliant. I'm going to try to do something like that, but I don't think I'm going to be so specific in the questions I'll be answering and I'm actually told that I shouldn't be."