People from across the US have mailed about 3,000 coat hangers to the office of Senator Susan Collins, the Maine Republican whose vote could determine the fate of Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s second supreme court nominee.
Activists fear Kavanaugh’s appointment will tip the court to the right and place in jeopardy Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that guarantees abortion rights. The hangers, which have been arriving at Collins’ office since July, symbolize the dangerous techniques used in back-alley abortions that take place where abortions are not legal.
Activists have also pledged to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund an opponent to Collins in 2020, if she votes in favor of Kavanaugh.
The end of contentious confirmation hearings this week has shifted the focus back to potential swing votes of Collins and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Republicans hold the Senate 51-49 and can secure Kavanaugh’s appointment with a simple majority or the tie-breaking vote of Vice-President Mike Pence. Both Collins and Murkowski will probably have to vote “no” for Kavanaugh to be blocked.
Collins has kept quiet about how she will vote. Nonetheless, she signaled that Kavanaugh had cleared one hurdle by telling her he considered Roe v Wade settled law.
A spokeswoman for Collins said, on Saturday, a recently released email from Kavanaugh, in which he disputed that all legal scholars see Roe as settled, did not contradict…
