Statement by Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health
“Sen. Jeff Sessions’ confirmation as Attorney General brings deep shame to our nation and imperils the rights and health of millions of women. As a senator, Sessions opposed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and expressed ambiguity about sexual assault.
“He has consistently voted against abortion rights, and called the Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing women the right to abortion a “colossal” mistake. Sessions praised both the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Supreme Court ruling restricting women’s access to contraception and the Gonzales v. Carhart decision upholding an abortion ban.
“It’s disgraceful that a man who has espoused anti-woman positions — and whose racist views cost him a federal judgeship — would be entrusted to rule with an unbiased mind in cases that affect the lives of women, people of color, immigrants, and other communities facing systemic discrimination.”
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The National Institute for Reproductive Health works across the country to increase access to reproductive health care by changing public policy, galvanizing public support, and normalizing women’s decisions to have abortions and use contraception.