- Clips of Sen. Collins defending
Brett Kavanaugh 's voting record onabortion have resurfaced. - Collins said Kavanaugh considered Roe v. Wade settled law and did "not believe" he would overturn it.
Clips of Sen.
"I do not believe that Brett Kavanaugh will overturn Roe. v. Wade," Collins told CNN in 2018, prior to Kavanaugh's confirmation.
On multiple other occasions when asked about Kavanaugh, Collins indicated he'd said Roe v. Wade was "settled law" and it would be inappropriate to overturn the precedent of Roe or Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed Roe in 1992.
Kavanaugh was appointed to the Supreme Court in a 50-48 vote in the Senate, with Collins' aye vote considered key to his confirmation.
In February, Collins, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, introduced legislation that would codify the rights established in Roe and Casey.
"I support the abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade and affirmed by Planned Parenthood v. Casey," Collins said in a statement. "Our legislation would enshrine these important protections into law without undercutting statutes that have been in place for decades and provide basic conscience protections that are relied upon by health care providers who have religious objections to performing abortions."
Represenatives for Collins and the Supreme Court did not immediately return Insider's requests for comment.