Politics

ACLU Director ‘Regrets’ Altering RBG Quote About Pregnant Women

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Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said he regrets altering one of late Supreme Court Justice’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s quotes in an effort to be gender-neutral, according to The New York Times (NYT).

Anthony Romero told the NYT Monday he regrets the decision to remove the word “woman” from one of Ginsburg’s most famous quotes and said going forward the organization would not alter quotes.

“On Monday, Anthony Romero … told me he regrets the R.B.G. tweet,” opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg wrote.

“Having spent time with Justice Ginsburg, I would like to believe that if she were alive today, she would encourage us to evolve our language to encompass a broader vision of gender, identity and sexuality,” Romero reportedly added.

The organization dedicated a tweet to Ginsburg on the anniversary of her death, using a quote from her 1993 confirmation hearing in which she weighed in on her feelings about abortion. (RELATED: ‘Thanks You Old Dead White Bitch’: Critics Blame Ginsburg When Texas Abortion Law Survives Supreme Court Challenge)

“The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a [person’s] life, to [their] well-being and dignity … When government controls that decision for [people], [they are] being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for [their] own choices,” the altered quote read.

The decision to alter the famous quote drew criticism from Megyn Kelly, who blasted the organization for eliminating women.

“Today the ACLU decided to celebrate, not celebrate, but commemorate the one-year mark of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death by retweeting a famous quote of her’s about a woman’s ‘right to choose,'” Kelly said during an episode of her SiriusXM radio show “The Megyn Kelly Show.”

“You don’t get to mess with somebody’s quote to make it more inclusive after the fact and after they are dead,” Kelly said.