A Striking Message About Kavanaugh & 'Roe V. Wade' Was Projected Onto SCOTUS' Walls

After a contentious first day of confirmation hearings for Trump's Supreme Court pick, a women's advocacy group projected a message about Brett Kavanaugh and Roe v. Wade onto the SCOTUS building. The message suggested that the landmark abortion rights case is more popular than Trump's Supreme Court nominee, who is perceived as being unfavorable to abortion rights. The message appears to be accurate, with recent polls revealing strong support for Roe v. Wade — and less support for Kavanaugh's confirmation.

As The Hill reported, on Tuesday evening, UltraViolet, a women's rights organization, projected an image of Kavanaugh onto the facade of the Supreme Court building along with the message, "Roe V. Wade is more popular than Brett Kavanaugh." As LGBTQ Nation noted, Ultraviolet has also shared this message via other mediums across Washington, D.C., including on posters in Capitol Hill and on taxi cabs.

UltraViolet's chief campaigns officer, Karin Roland, spoke with LGBTQ Nation about the organization's broader message regarding Kavanaugh, indicating that it serves to illustrate that there is a lot at stake when it comes to deciding whether or not to confirm Kavanaugh. As Roland asserted:

If Brett Kavanaugh is appointed to the Supreme Court, he will undoubtedly be the deciding vote to gut Roe v. Wade and criminalize abortion, bringing us back to a dark chapter in this country’s history that forced women into unsafe, illegal abortion ... There is a reason that support for Roe is at a historic high while support for Kavanaugh is at a historic low: The American public understands what is at stake with this vote ...

A recent NBC and Wall Street Journal poll revealed a relatively strong level of support among Americans for upholding Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that affirmed a woman's right to have an abortion. The July 2018 poll found that 71 percent of American voters do not believe that Roe v. Wade should be overturned, while only 23 percent said that the ruling should be overturned. Notably, the poll also found that 52 percent of Republicans — voters whose party is traditionally opposed to abortion rights — support upholding the case. As NBC noted, overall, this poll revealed the highest-ever level of support for Roe v. Wade since the poll began in 2005.

In contrast, the same July 2018 poll found relatively low levels of support for Kavanaugh's confirmation. As NBC reported, the poll revealed that 32 percent of voters support his nomination, while 26 percent oppose it. A more recent Aug. 2018 poll, from Politico/Morning Consult, revealed fairly similar levels of support or lack thereof. As Politico reported, 37 percent of voters said the Senate should confirm Kavanaugh, while 29 percent said that he should not be confirmed as the next Supreme Court justice. 34 percent of voters indicated that they were undecided.

Since Kavanaugh's nomination was announced, many women's advocacy organizations have expressed their opposition to his confirmation, noting that his record seems to indicate an opposition to Roe v. Wade. Moreover, during the first day of Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings on Tuesday, many protesters publicly opposed his status as a nominee. They particularly expressed concern about what would happen to Roe v. Wade if Kavanaugh is confirmed, as NPR reported.

Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings will continue on Wednesday. Time will soon tell whether or not those concerned about the fate of Roe v. Wade will continue to demonstrate their opposition, as UltraViolet and many others did on Tuesday.