WATCH: Roe v. Wade has ‘been reaffirmed many times,’ Kavanaugh says

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says a 1973 Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right to an abortion is an “important precedent” that has “been reaffirmed many times.”

WATCH LIVE: Day 2 of Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearing

Kavanaugh was asked about the Roe v. Wade ruling by Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California. He said the decision has “been reaffirmed many times over the past 45 years.” And he noted that a 1992 decision of the court called Planned Parenthood v. Casey didn’t just reaffirm Roe v. Wade in passing. He said that decision becomes “precedent on precedent.”

Kavanaugh compared the Roe decision to another case, Miranda v. Arizona, which requires law enforcement to tell suspects their rights. Kavanaugh noted that former Chief Justice William Rehnquist had been a critic of the Miranda decision but later upheld it as precedent.

Kavanaugh has previously said that he considers Roe v. Wade to be “settled law,” though his dissent in a previous abortion ruling has raised questions about his stance on the issue.

More:

• Your guide to the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings
• Why should you watch Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings? Here’s where he stands on key issues
• Where does Brett Kavanaugh see the limits of executive power?
• How has public opinion about abortion changed since Roe v. Wade?
• The left’s strategy to block Kavanaugh from the Supreme Court