It’s a precarious time for the US Supreme Court. After Justice Anthony Kennedy retires this year, there’s a very real risk that Roe v. Wade, the legislation which protects and provides safe abortion law for American women, could be overturned. And it’s a risk that US pro-choice activists aren’t willing to take.
Now Senator Susan Collins, a Republican politician who will have one of the crucial votes in determining who fills the seat space left by Justice Kennedy, has begun to receive coat hangers to her office as a powerful statement about the implications of Roe v. Wade being overturned.
Senator Collins has been coy about her feelings on Roe vs Wade, announcing that she wouldn’t factor in whether a nominee for the Supreme Court supports the legislation as part of her own decision to support their appointment. Posting under the hashtag #HangersForCollins, women promised to “shower them on her doorstep”.
Trump meanwhile, has promised he would only nominate judges who want to repeal the historic abortion legislation. His Supreme Court nominee needs 51 votes to be confirmed, meaning that only one Republican would need to break party ranks and side against them to prevent them from assuming the seat.