It is imperative that Sen. Susan Collins votes against the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the ninth justice on the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Kavanaugh would pose a threat to reproductive rights in Maine and across the nation.

Kavanaugh has long been an opponent of abortion rights; voicing his opinion in support of Justice Rehnquist’s dissent in Roe v Wade, calling the decision a part of a “general tide of freewheeling judicial creation of unenumerated rights that were not rooted in the nation’s history and tradition.” He continued his attack on reproductive rights when he dissented in an appellate decision that allowed an undocumented immigrant minor from receiving an abortion after she was raped. His dissent shows an appalling disregard for the woman’s constitutional right to control her own reproductive choices.

As a college student living in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, I feel strongly that Collins should vote against Kavanaugh’s confirmation, ensuring the reproductive rights of the nation are protected.

Sofie Sogaard, Lewiston