Raoul on Court decisions upholding anti-Muslim travel ban, eroding choice

“As the son of immigrants from Haiti, a nation Trump derided as a ‘shithole,’ I’m well aware of the ugly biases driving the president’s policies”

CHICAGO – Kwame Raoul, Democratic candidate for Attorney General, issued the following response to two opinions the U.S. Supreme Court handed down today, upholding President Trump’s travel ban in Trump v. Hawaii and eroding a woman’s right to be informed about her reproductive healthcare in NIFLA v. Becerra:

“This morning’s rulings from a divided court illustrate the precarious status of our rights and the need for strong elected officials – especially in the attorney general’s office – to stand up and protect those who are threatened.

The NIFLA decision, which sides with entities seeking to mislead women, is part of a troubling erosion of a woman’s freedom to make personal decisions about her life, body and family. Protecting a woman’s right to choose means protecting her access to affordable healthcare and accurate information. Illinois recognizes this by requiring medical professionals who object to abortions to provide information about where and how patients can access the care they choose. As attorney general, I will defend this law and all aspects of women’s rights.

The current presidential administration has built its approach to immigrants and refugees on religious and ethnic prejudice since the moment Donald Trump announced his candidacy. As the son of immigrants from Haiti, a nation Trump derided as a “shithole,” I’m well aware of the ugly biases driving the president’s policies. Today’s decision to uphold his executive order banning entry primarily from Muslim-majority countries enables his administration’s willful disregard for American values and the Constitution. I understand the countless ways in which people from all over the world contribute to our state and nation. We need policies that are commonsense and compassionate, and Trump’s approach is neither.

Now is not the time to yield to discouragement, but to fight in the courts and at the ballot box for the rights and values we want to define us.”

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