Next week, the Senate is set to vote on the confirmation of Wendy Vitter for a district court seat in Louisiana. Vitter’s record is clear: she’s embraced extreme positions against reproductive and civil rights and misled the Senate while under oath. The last thing we should do is give her a lifetime seat on the federal bench. Here’s a look at Vitter’s record, and what you can do to speak out against her nomination.
Vitter pushed junk science to further her anti-abortion agenda – and encouraged other women to do the same.
Apparently President Trump isn’t the only one willing to lie about abortion to rile up a crowd. At a 2013 rally, Wendy Vitter claimed that Planned Parenthood kills “over 150,000 females a year.” Later that year, Vitter led a panel called “Abortion Hurts Women’s Health,” where she endorsed the views of radical anti-abortion activist Dr. Angela Lanfranchi. Lanfranchi is known for spreading the dangerous and debunked theories that abortion causes breast cancer and that birth control pills “kill.” Specifically, Lanfranchi’s materials claim that birth control pills make women more likely to die a violent death at the hands of their partners.
At the panel, Vitter urged women to download Lanfranchi’s materials and ask their doctors to put the brochures in their waiting rooms, calling on the women to be “pro-life advocates.”
The most basic qualification for a judge is good judgement. Vitter’s willingness to promote junk science – and encourage others to do the same – makes it pretty clear that she’s unqualified for the federal bench.
Vitter lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee during her hearing.
At her hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Kamala Harris asked Vitter about the 2013 panel and her role in promoting Lanfranchi’s junk science. She claimed she was just encouraging women to talk to their doctors, but here’s the thing – you can watch video of the panel, and that’s definitely NOT what she said. Watch it here.
Vitter refused to say whether Brown v. Board of Education was correctly decided.
Wendy Vitter was the first judicial nominee to get major attention for refusing to say whether she thought Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court case striking down the “separate but equal” doctrine, was correctly decided. Since then, we’ve seen the list of nominees refusing to answer a simple question about one of the most important Supreme Court cases in history grow disturbingly long. It’s pretty absurd that the Senate is planning to vote on Vitter’s nomination the same week as the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board.
It’s clear that Vitter doesn’t belong anywhere near the federal bench.
We can stop Vitter’s confirmation, but it’s going to take all of us. Here’s what you can do to #StopVitter.
Call your senators
Your senators need to hear from you. You can get connected to your senator right here at afjac.org; just put in your number, and then pick up your phone when it rings. We’ll patch you straight through to your senator. Below is a sample call script you can use to tell your senator why Wendy Vitter doesn’t belong on the bench.
My name is [NAME], and I’m a constituent from [CITY]. I’m calling because I’m deeply concerned about Wendy Vitter, Donald Trump’s nominee to the Eastern District of Louisiana. Vitter has fought to roll back reproductive rights and pushed junk science to further her dangerous agenda. I am urging [SENATOR NAME] to vote NO on the nomination of Wendy Vitter. Thank you.
Tweet at your senators
Already called your senators? Take your activism online! Tweet at your senator and let them know you want them to vote NO on Wendy Vitter. Don’t forget to tag your senators!
Tell your friends about Wendy Vitter
Remember – every senator gets a vote on every judicial nomination. So send this post to your friends, and ask them to call their senators and ask them to #StopVitter.