By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Did Brett Kavanaugh assault Christine Blasey Ford decades ago when they were teenagers? I don’t know that for sure.

What I do know for sure, deep in my gut, is that Brett Kavanaugh abused another teenager when he ruled against a young immigrant seeking an abortion just last year.

Yes, I know. The word abuse is a strong one. It’s inflammatory, and I try not to succumb to inflammatory rhetoric these days. So I don’t use the word lightly.

But this is honestly how I feel. It’s was my gut reaction as I read about the plight of the teenage Jane Doe in the Garza v. Hargan case that came before Judge Kavanaugh in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Most of the conversation around Garza v. Hargan has focused on the young immigrant teenager’s right to have a safe abortion. But I’ve noticed little emphasis in the media or among my friends about Jane Doe’s right not to be pregnant.

In ruling against Jane Doe, in insisting that she put off getting an abortion for several weeks while government officials sought a sponsor for her, Kavanaugh was forcing Jane Doe to remain pregnant — to be pregnant against her will — for several more weeks.

To me that is power — judicial, governmental power — forcing itself on Jane Doe’s body. It is unconscionable.

Fortunately for the teenage Jane Doe, a high court reversed the decision that Kavanaugh issued. She was able to obtain an abortion. But not before, thanks to Brett Kavanaugh, Jane Doe’s body was held prisoner and her wishes treated with contempt for an additional — unconscionable — five days.

More about people in power — in this case, a hierarchy of men — making decisions for women at “I Love Pope Francis — Or Do I?”

More about the Kavanaugh hearing in the Senate at “Watching Christine Blasey Ford — and Brett Kavanaugh — With a Husband I Can Count On”