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- Clips of Sen. Collins defending Brett Kavanaugh’s voting record on abortion have resurfaced.
- Collins said Kavanaugh considered Roe v. Wade settled law and did “not believe” he would overturn it.
- The clips resurfaced as a leaked draft opinion indicates the court could roll back abortion rights.
Clips of Sen. Susan Collins saying Justice Brett Kavanaugh sees Roe v. Wade as “settled law” recirculated Monday following news that the Supreme Court appears poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“I do not believe that Brett Kavanaugh will overturn Roe. v. Wade,” Collins told CNN in 2018, prior to Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
On multiple other occasions when asked about Kavanaugh, Collins indicated he’d said Roe v. Wade was “settled law” and it would be inappropriate to overturn the precedent of Roe or Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed Roe in 1992.
Kavanaugh was appointed to the Supreme Court in a 50-48 vote in the Senate, with Collins’ aye vote considered key to his confirmation.
In February, Collins, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, introduced legislation that would codify the rights established in Roe and Casey.
“I support the abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade and affirmed by Planned Parenthood v. Casey,” Collins said in a statement. “Our legislation would enshrine these important protections into law without undercutting statutes that have been in place for decades and provide basic conscience protections that are relied upon by health care providers who have religious objections to performing abortions.”
Represenatives for Collins and the Supreme Court did not immediately return Insider’s requests for comment.
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