Why Brett Kavanaugh is no danger to abortion rights

There has been a huge amount of scaremongering about Donald Trump's appointment of conservative justice Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. To liberals, he has all the credentials of a right-winger, with a record of decisions supporting authority and the power of the executive. Many were, and remain, extremely scared of his supposed anti-abortion decisions, but these worries are completely unfounded.

The most commonly cited case Democrats use to criticise Kavanaugh is a decision he made as a justice on the DC Federal Circuit, where he dissented in a judgement that allowed an underage illegal immigrant to get an abortion. This, however, does not show he is anti-abortion. In fact, he made it very clear that the reason he dissented was because he didn't think the federal government should be paying for an illegal immigrant to get an abortion.

Whether you agree with him or not on this issue, it is clear that Kavanaugh's record does not show him to be against abortion rights; the rights (or lack thereof) of illegal immigrants, he definitely takes a strong line on, but Kavanaugh has said himself that the Roe vs Wade decision would not be at risk from him if he was confirmed.

While Kavanaugh would definitely be a bad choice for America, it is important to understand he does not pose a threat to abortion rights. It is a hugely important issue, and scaremongering about it does nothing to help the peace of mind for thousands of women advancing their careers.