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Previous letter writer wrong

To the editor:

A recent letter printed in DMG’s weekend edition, contained copious misinformation regarding Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination.

Glaring errors exist within the writer’s first sentence, “11 men will influence a woman’s right to control their own reproductive health decisions”. Currently, eight persons comprise the Supreme Court: 3 women, 5 men. Women’s “reproductive health” won’t be curtailed.

(Editor’s note: The original letter was referring to the 11 Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee, which this writer correctly explains later in this letter.)

As Kavanaugh explained, “Roe v. Wade is settled law” i.e. binding precedent.

New York Times columnist Adam Liptak quoted the fear-mongering opinions of GWU Professor Ira Gornstein: “It wouldn’t surprise me…if the court finds additional restrictions on abortion, never upholds another affirmative action plan, and never extends the rights of gays and lesbians…”

Columbia Professor Carol Sanger says, “The court can’t decide to change a case until it has a case before it.”

Thus, there “wouldn’t be an impact on Roe anytime soon.” If ever overturned, Roe v Wade would become a state judicial matter.

Sentence two of the letter says, “The all-male Republican Senate Judiciary Committee is hell-bent on rushing approval of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court despite allegations he attempted rape of a teenage women.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee is a 21-person body, comprised of 10 Democrats (four women) and 11 Republicans. Regarding “rushing” Kavanaugh’s approval “despite allegations,” Ms. Ford submitted her allegations to Sen. Feinstein on July 30 and concurrently informed the Washington Post. In August, Ford hired attorney Debra Katz.

Feinstein disclosed Ford’s accusations on Sept 13. Sen. Grassley agreed to delay the confirmation vote and accommodate Ms. Ford. She appeared before the committee on Thursday.

Through her lawyer, Ford manipulated Sen. Grassley, Judiciary Committee and Kavanaugh for two weeks.

Ford’s allegations described groping, not rape. Ford cannot provide date, time, or location for the supposed encounter with Kavanaugh. Both would have been teenagers at incident, not the May/December scenario mistakenly suggested.

Initially, Ford said there were four male assailants but now says two. Under oath, those two deny her story.

The New Yorker published Deborah Ramirez’s equally unsubstantiated allegation on Sept. 21. Her alcohol-fueled party account, where Kavanaugh supposedly exposed himself, names several college acquaintances. They unequivocally deny her story.

Should further allegations be headlined tomorrow, readers could predict their credibility gap. The letter writer falsely portrays Judiciary Committee Chairman Grassley as unsympathetic and unaccommodating. It’s doubtful he saw the Spartacus spectacle.

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