NEWS PROVIDED BY
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
May 16, 2022

NEW YORK, May 16, 2022 /Standard Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue (photo) comments on pro-abortion Catholic politicians:

Catholics can disagree about many things and still remain faithful to the Church, but when they disagree with Church teachings on matters that are "intrinsically evil," that cannot be taken lightly. Regrettably, many Catholic politicians are in open defiance of the Church's teaching on abortion, a life and death issue.

When the draft of the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade was leaked to the press, most Catholic politicians weighed in, one way or the other. We counted 86 who did so. They represent governors, congressmen and senators. There were 84 Democrats and 2 Republicans who expressed their dissatisfaction with the anticipated overruling of this decision. Here is the list.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA)
"Our daughters, sisters, mothers, and grandmothers will not be silenced. The world is about to hear their fury. California will not sit back. We are going to fight like hell." – May 2, 2022
"California will not stand idly by as women across America are stripped of their rights and the progress so many have fought for gets erased." – May 2, 2022

Gov. Steve Sisolak (D-NV)
"In Nevada, we're committed to protecting reproductive rights – I've signed legislation affirming this right and expanding access to healthcare." – May 2, 2022

Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ)
"A truly dark day in America with news reports that the Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade." – May 2, 2022

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM)
"The ramifications of this decision would be devastating for New Mexico women." – May 2, 2022

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY)
"For anyone who needs access to care, our state will welcome you with open arms. Abortion will always be safe & accessible in New York." – May 2, 2022

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
"If this draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe is true, it's an enormous step backwards for our country." – May 3, 2022

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
"If it goes in the direction that this leaked copy has indicated, I will just tell you that it rocks my confidence in the court right now." – May 3, 2022

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA)
"I'm in." – replying to Gov. Newsom's tweet, "We can't trust SCOTUS to protect the right to abortion, so we will do it ourselves." May 3, 2022

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)
"If true, this draft opinion that circulated last night would end a half-century guarantee that reproductive rights are protected by our Constitution." – May 3, 2022

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
"If this leaked draft opinion is the final decision and this reporting is accurate, it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office." – May 3, 2022

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
"In this moment, I want women in NJ and across the country to know that I will never stop fighting for your right to choose." – May 3, 2022

Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)
"This is unconscionable." – May 2, 2022

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
"We must codify the right to an abortion into federal law—even if it means eliminating the filibuster....And states like NY must open our doors." – May 2, 2022

Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)
"If this draft opinion becomes the final opinion of the Court, I have serious concerns about what overturning almost 50 years of legal precedent will mean for women in states passing near or total bans on abortion." – May 3, 2022

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
"If the reporting is correct, the Supreme Court could send us tumbling backward in time, stripping away a bedrock constitutional right that has granted women autonomy over their bodies and health for nearly five decades." – May 3, 2022

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
"The draft opinion shows why the Senate GOP denied Merrick Garland a hearing and rushed Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation. 2 stolen seats = Taking away women's rights." – May 3, 2022

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
"Women's lives and their health care are not political footballs." – May 2, 2022
"If the reporting about the draft opinion is true, America is on the path to returning to a dangerous time." – May 2, 2022

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
"If this is true, this kind of outcome is exactly what I've been ringing alarm bells about—and this is a five alarm fire....In a matter of days or weeks, the horrifying reality is that we could live in a country without Roe. If this is true, women will be forced to remain pregnant no matter their personal circumstances." – May 3, 2022

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
"The Republican-appointed Justices' reported votes to overturn Roe v. Wade would go down as an abomination, one of the worst and most damaging decisions in modern history." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ)
"There's been a lot of horrific long-term damaging news over the past several years, none have hit me like this." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)
"The news is a reminder of what we know to be true: the Senate must end the filibuster to protect reproductive rights and make the Women's Health Protection Act law." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
"Pro-choice elected officials need to ban together & fight for reproductive rights at every office." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ)
"It's outrageous the Supreme Court appears poised to overturn the right to an abortion." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA)
"The Senate must send the Women's Health Protection Act to @POTUS now to protect access to safe abortion care and save lives." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)
"This leaked draft opinion threatens the fundamental right to choose, undoing 50 years of precedent & dismantling access to reproductive health care." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA)
"I am apoplectic about what this leaked SCOTUS decision will do to a generation of women in this country. There has not been one word about the responsibility of the impregnator." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA)
"This attempt could erase decades of progress and freedom for millions of women across our country." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
"[T]his is a sad day because again...it just reeks of not respecting women." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)
"News of a draft SCOTUS opinion on Roe v. Wade makes it clear that we must act now to protect a woman's right to choose." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA)
"A decision that overturns a half century of legal precedent will be a betrayal of our Constitution and a betrayal of millions of women who count on its protections to retain control of their own bodies and choices." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA)
"Right-wing extremists and their allies on the Supreme Court are trying to change the country. Because they cannot do so through legislation, they want to do it through the courts." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
"The Supreme Court has confirmed the validity of the draft opinion and our worst fears....We must codify Roe and protect the fundamental right to control our own bodies & lives at all costs." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA)
"We can make #RoeVWade the law of the land next year:... Eliminate the filibuster." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA)
"We can't go back to the days where a woman is criminalized for deciding what she does with her own body." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA)
"We can no longer afford to wait to pass federal legislation protecting a woman's right to choose." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA)
"I am deeply alarmed by this draft opinion." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-CA)
"Abortion is STILL legal right now....A right I'll fight like hell to make sure women continue to have." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA)
"I don't want to see women return to clandestine medical procedures." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA)
" This callous and reckless decision will threaten the lives of women everywhere." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA)
"A woman's right to make her own health care decisions shouldn't be stripped away." – May 2, 2022

Rep. John Larson (D-CT)
"If the Supreme Court moves forward with this draft as written, it will be devastating." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT)
"[This] is a full-throated attack on Supreme Court case law that has been painstakingly built over decades to protect the right of privacy for all Americans." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Rose DeLauro (D-CT)
"I am horrified, ashamed, and angry." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL)
"Leaked Sup Ct opinion would set women's rights back over 50 yrs in America." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Marie Newman (D-IL)
"Civil rights, economic rights and LGBTQ rights are next." – May 3, 2022
"We will never stop fighting." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Chuy García (D-IL)
"Striking down Roe is a direct attack on Latinos, Black Americans, & communities of color." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL)
"If the Court formally adopts the leaked draft opinion, it would represent a radical departure from longstanding protections of personal freedom and bodily autonomy." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-IN)
"I am a staunch supporter of women's rights, and that includes the rights to access medical treatment, to have autonomy over their own bodies, and the ability to make their own life decisions." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Cindy Axne (D-IA)
"Women have been empowered to make their own decisions about their bodies and reproductive rights for nearly half a century. and I will not stand idly by and let decades of progress slip away."  – May 3, 2022

Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD)
"This draft decision is extreme, it's dangerous, and will erase decades of progress for women's rights." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA)
"Here in Massachusetts, a woman's right to choose remains sacred. We must continue to ensure that women across our country share that same access to vital health care resources." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA)
"We must stay focused, stay organized & use every tool at our disposal to fight back." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA)
"The fight is on. We need the Women's Health Protection Act. We need it NOW!" – May 2, 2022

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
"[I]ts misguided reasoning represents an abrupt and wrong-headed departure from the basic Constitutional protections identified by Roe...." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI)
"The Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade would be an unprecedented attack on women's health." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
"If the Supreme Court overturns Roe, no fundamental right in this country will be safe." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)
"Women's reproductive choice belongs to women, not a right wing Supreme Court that will allow this fundamental human right to be criminalized." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV)
"5 justices shouldn't be able to overrule our will, our rights, & our health care choices." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
"If this draft opinion is accurate, the Supreme Court is on the cusp of overturning half a century of precedent and decimating reproductive rights for millions of Americans." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ)
"The SCOTUS draft opinion would represent a dangerous erosion of women's rights...." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)
"An overwhelming majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade. That's why republicans today are whining about leaks: to distract you from what they've done." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ)
"This draft decision is a shocking attack on women's health." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM)
"[I]n the face of this anticipated and devastating draft decision, NM will stand with women and families. We will remain a leader in ensuring that patients have access to the full spectrum of healthcare they need and deserve, including access to abortion care." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY)
"The Supreme Court's leaked majority opinion to overturn #RoeVWade would have devastating consequences for women in this country." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY)
"To be clear, this leaked opinion we are seeing is a draft, not a final order. Abortion is still your legal right. If you are in need of care, please reach out to a provider immediately." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY)
"This is an attack on the right to a safe abortion all over the country. We will fight this." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY)
"Time is running out—we have to expand the court before it's too late." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)
"As we've warned, SCOTUS isn't just coming for abortion - they're coming for the right to privacy Roe rests on, which includes gay marriage + civil rights." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY)
"If true, this is a draconian step backward." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY)
"The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will do horrendous damage to the rights of millions of Americans...." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-NY)
"In one fell swoop, they are poised to roll back centuries of hard-fought progress, creating a dystopia where women no longer have autonomy over their own bodies." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY)
"The Supreme Court is on the verge of decimating the rights of women across our country." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
"If the Supreme Court were in fact to overturn Roe v. Wade, it would further invite state legislatures with partisan agendas to interfere in one of the most important and private decisions a woman can make." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)
"Every single one of my GOP opponents supports extreme, restrictive anti-abortion laws. We cannot let them near the Senate." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
"The leaked draft decision from the conservative majority of the Supreme Court, if enacted, would be dangerous—it completely disregards science and would put the health of millions of women at risk." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA)
"This is a recipe for disaster." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA)
"This is terrifying and confirms what we already knew: This extreme Supreme Court is hostile to abortion." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA)
"This leaked opinion shows we were right to be terrified. The Senate must move NOW to pass the Women's Health Protection Act." – May 2, 2022

Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA)
"The draft Supreme Court opinion, which restricts women's access to safe, legal abortion services, is outrageous." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA)
"If the leak's real, #SCOTUS is going to repeal #RoeVWade – an earthshattering change which most Americans oppose and which would harm women's access to healthcare." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI)
"If this reported leak is in fact accurate, it represents the most severe rollback of women's rights in this country's history, overturning decades of settled case law." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX)
"The Senate must not wait to codify Roe to ensure women have the freedom to make personal decisions with those they love and trust without politicians trying to control them." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
"My faith is clear: abortion must be rare and safe." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)
"If this SCOTUS leak is real, it is not only incredibly disturbing, but it is completely unprecedented for our nation's highest court....I urge my Senate colleagues to codify Roe v. Wade immediately." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)
"Reports of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will be the greatest infringement of freedom in generations." – May 3, 2022

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA)
"By taking away a right for the first time in constitutional history, these zealots have utterly discredited the third branch of government & unleashed forces that will fracture America." – May 2, 2022

SOURCE Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

CONTACT: 212-371-3191, pr@catholicleague.org