When pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement last week, pro-life advocates hoped for a new Supreme Court Judge who would be open to overturning Roe v Wade and its allowance for virtually unlimited abortions.

But pro-abortion Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska wants more of the same. She says she wants a pro-abortion Supreme Court nominee in the mold of Justice Kennedy. Here’s more:

Speaking Monday at an Anchorage news conference, Murkowski noted Kennedy’s pivotal role on the court. He has often served as a swing vote between the court’s liberal and conservative justices.

Murkowski heaped praise on Kennedy after his retirement announcement.

“I would like to thank Justice Kennedy for his decades of service to our country. As one of the very few westerners on the current court, he has served the court and our nation well. His retirement is a historic moment for the court because he was the swing vote in so many decisions of great consequence. I think he held the court together and did right by the Constitution. “My standards for Supreme Court nominees are extremely high. It is my longstanding practice to carefully scrutinize the qualifications of judicial nominees and to cast an independent vote when judicial nominations come before the Senate. There is no doubt that the President’s nominee to succeed Justice Kennedy can expect exacting scrutiny from the Senate and that is the standard I will apply in evaluating the nominee.”

Murkowski joins Sen. Susan Collins, a key swing vote for the next U.S. Supreme Court nominee who said she will not support a judge who opposes Roe v. Wade and abortion.

Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement June 27, and Trump has promised to appoint a pro-life justice to the high court. Kennedy’s retirement means Trump will have the opportunity to appoint a justice who could swing the court conservative and be a deciding vote in overturning Roe v. Wade.

However, Collins and Murkowski could get in the way of the confirmation, and the abortion industry already is lobbying them heavily to vote against any candidate Trump nominates.

Collins has a mixed voting record on abortion and often sides with the abortion industry on key votes. However, a good sign for pro-lifers, she consistently has voted yes to confirm Trump’s judicial nominees, including his first Supreme Court pick, Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Trump has not named his choice yet, but pro-abortion groups are urging Senators to reject whomever he chooses. They also are flooding Murkowski and Collins with phone calls and messages urging them to oppose his nominee.

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The confirmation does not hinge on Murkowski and Collins alone. The U.S. Senate also has several moderately pro-life Democrats who voted to confirm Gorsuch. Vice President Mike Pence also can serve as a tie-breaking vote, as he has on other pro-life legislation in the past.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said they will vote prior to the mid-term elections on Trump’s nominee. The president is expected to announce his choice July 9.

Pro-life advocates and other conservatives have praised Trump for the possible Supreme Court nominees on his list. He chose conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch from the list in 2017.

Last week, Trump promised to choose a nominee from the list of 25 conservative leaders, most of whom already are judges on federal circuit courts and state supreme courts.

“We need intellect, we need so many things,” Trump said at a rally Wednesday in North Dakota. “There is so many elements that goes into the making of a great justice of the Supreme Court. …

“Democrats want judges who will rewrite the Constitution any way they want to do it, and take away your Second Amendment, erase your borders, throw open the jailhouse doors and destroy your freedoms,” he continued.

ACTION: Contact Senator Murkowski.