Letter to the editor from Frank Farricker, former head of the Democratic Town Committee, June 29, 2018
The Retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy is going to fully change our political system, perhaps forever.
In particular, it is likely that the new – fully conservative – Supreme Court will repeal the Roe vs. Wade decision to provide choice for all American women.
Going into these difficult and uncertain times, it is important that voters who believe in the right to choice understand the facts.
The Roe decision requires abortion to be legal in all 50 states and territories. Should Roe be overturned, that does not automatically make abortion illegal. Instead, each state will be permitted to make their own rules.
Those rules will be made by each individual state legislator, and you will be voting for three legislators for Greenwich this November.
It is highly likely that the people you vote for locally will right away be deciding for Connecticut if a woman has a right to choose in our state in the next term. So there is no luxury of waiting until the Supreme Court decides, as a wrong decision could affect our state before you even realize it’s happened. If you value the right to choose, you must protect yourself and ensure a vote for pro-choice legislators.
In Greenwich, Rep. Fred Camillo has a long record of hostility to choice, including introducing a number of bills to inhibit choice cited here: http://womensmarchct.org/index.php/portfolio/connecticut-legislative-guide/.
Fred is a great guy, a real stand up representative for Greenwich. In a normal year, it is hard to see why he wouldn’t deserve reelection. But this is not a normal year at all and sometimes hard decisions need to be made by voters.
Laura Kostin in a safe vote for choice and should be aggressively supported by those who support choice for Connecticut.
State Representative Bocchino declared himself “pro-choice” in his last election in 2014. While some outlets have suggested he signed on to a number of abortion restrictions in the legislature over the past four years, Rep. Bocchino’s position is unclear.
The voters of the 150th district should demand an unequivocal statement of this pro-choice position, or defenders of choice would be obligated to support Steve Meskers as a reliable vote for choice in the coming term.
Finally, Sen. Frantz has no clear record to find regarding his positions on choice, while his opponent, Alex Bergstein, is a candidate who can be safely relied to uphold abortion rights in Connecticut.
Rep. Livvy Floren, who is running unopposed, has a long record of supporting women’s reproductive rights through votes and statements.
It bears repeating; within the next two years, the people you will be voting to represent you in Hartford this November may be forced to decide whether Connecticut bans or aggressively restricts a woman’s right to choose. Don’t wait until it is too late, which it may be sooner than you think.
Please vote for those you are absolutely sure will uphold choice on election day.