AUGUSTA, Maine (WGAN) Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins raised concerns over a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
The Senator’s statement on Tuesday morning came after the leaked draft was published by Politico on Monday. She said that “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.”
Late Tuesday morning, Chief Justice Roberts confirmed the draft’s authenticity, but said it did not represent the court’s final decision or final position.
Collins was a key swing vote in the confirmations of Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh. During their confirmation hearings, Kavanaugh pointed to 45 years of precedent when asked about Roe v. Wade. Similarly, Gorsuch said that the decision “has been reaffirmed many times.”
Independent Sen. Angus King also issued a statement, saying: “A potential ruling that ends abortion protections would be appalling, but also firmly aligned with the clear long-term goals of conservative legal leaders; in fact, former President Trump explicitly stated he would only nominate justices who would ‘automatically’ overturn Roe. While we do not yet know the final ruling, Congress must be prepared to take legislative action to enshrine Roe into law.”
Also on Tuesday, Maine Gov. Janet Mills released a statement in response to the report, saying that “as long as I am Governor, I will fight with everything I have to protect reproductive rights and to preserve access to reproductive health care in the face of every and any threat to it – whether from politicians in Augusta or Supreme Court Justices in Washington.”
Meanwhile, former Gov. Paul LePage, who seeks to retake the Blaine House in November, said that “Maine state law already prohibits abortion after viability and our laws should keep pace with modern, medical technology.”