The possibility that unborn babies again could be protected under United States law is “very scary” to former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards.

Reacting to President Donald Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Richards told Democracy Now on Tuesday that the high court soon could hear more than a dozen cases that could “restrict women’s rights” to abortion.

“I think the threats to women’s health and women’s rights are profound,” Richards said.

If Trump’s nominee, federal Judge Brett Kavanaugh, is confirmed to the court, the majority of justices would be conservative, opening the doors for more restrictions on abortion, protections for unborn babies and even the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned. It could mean America would no longer be one of seven countries in the world that permits elective abortions past 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Richards said women should be “very scared” at the idea.

“Roe v. Wade did not create the idea of abortion,” Richards said. “Abortion existed before it was legal, it simply was unsafe. And young, health women died routinely in emergency rooms across this country. …

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“We’re going to go back to a day in which women had to go across the border or take matters into their own hands. It’s a very scary time for women,” she continued.

While Richards is correct that abortions occurred prior to Roe, research from her own former employer, Planned Parenthood, refutes these claims. Almost all abortions prior to Roe were performed by doctors, and very few women died.

Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a former abortionist and NARAL co-founder, later admitted the “back alley” abortion death figures that they used were false.

Pro-life leaders, who care about protecting all lives from abortion – including women and babies, also contend that legalizing abortion did not make abortions safer for women; it just allowed abortionists to practice openly.

If the Supreme Court does repeal Roe, abortions will not automatically become illegal across America, either. Instead, states will once again be given the power to regulate, restrict or prohibit abortions and protect unborn babies’ rights.

Kavanaugh has served on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for D.C. for more than a decade, where he developed an extensive record of protecting religious liberty and enforcing restrictions on abortion. Pro-life leaders believe he would do the same on the Supreme Court. National pro-life leaders have expressed high hopes for Kavanaugh and the future of unborn babies’ rights.