Thread by @thelilynews

Meet the woman who could bring down Roe v. Wade: Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch.

Her state’s abortion ban is being reviewed at the Supreme Court today. As @CAKitchener reports, Fitch believes such laws “empower” women.
thelily.com/the-woman-who-…

With the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Mississippi is asking the Supreme Court to affirm its ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The constitutional right to abortion could rest on the outcome.
washingtonpost.com/politics/court…

To capture the state’s argument, Fitch has chosen the slogan: “Empower Women. Promote Life.”

The motto gets right to the crux of her argument, while alluding to a belief that has shaped her political career: Empower women, and they will help themselves.
facebook.com/watch/?v=12168…

In the amicus brief she submitted in July, Fitch claims “sweeping policy advances” now allow women to fully pursue motherhood and a career, stamping out the need for abortion.

She says her own experience as a single, working mother proves it.
thelily.com/the-woman-who-…

Critics immediately descended on Fitch. Abortion activists called her a hypocrite, highlighting her privilege, while a consortium of 154 economists scrutinized her argument in their own amicus brief.

supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/1…

Fitch stands by her argument. With this Supreme Court case, she said in a television interview, God has presented women with an opportunity. bit.ly/2ZNd7xC

Fitch’s argument echoes an antiabortion approach to legislation that has been around for decades.

She has focused on how abortion restrictions can safeguard women's economic wellbeing and professional ambitions, instead of their health. bit.ly/2ZNd7xC

To Jennifer Riley Collins, the Democrat who ran against Fitch in the 2019 attorney general race, Fitch’s argument is “absurd.” bit.ly/2ZNd7xC

Fitch does not support federal paid family leave or subsidized child care. She believes friends, family and employers need to help new mothers.

But critics say many U.S. women don’t have access to such structural supports.
thelily.com/the-woman-who-…

Fitch never expected to be the face of this case. She rarely spoke about abortion on the campaign trail. Now it may be the issue she’s remembered for.

Read more from @CAKitchener: bit.ly/2ZNd7xC