In 1973, an all-male U.S. Supreme Court forced states to legalize abortion on demand through Roe v. Wade.
Now, nearly 50 years and 62 million abortions later, pro-abortion feminist groups fear that a woman could be Roe’s undoing and restore protections to babies in the womb.
“Trump promised to only appoint biased judges who will overturn Roe v. Wade,” Planned Parenthood Action responded on Twitter this week. “Amy Coney Barrett is at the top of that list. Stop Barrett.”
President Donald Trump plans to announce his choice to replace the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the end of the week. Many believe Barrett, a Seventh Circuit judge, is a top candidate on Trump’s list.
A strong conservative and devout Catholic, Barrett’s 100-plus opinions on the Seventh Circuit have “displayed her clear and consistent conservative bent,” according to the AP.
NARAL Pro-Choice America put it more critically, slamming Barrett for saying Roe v. Wade is an “erroneous” decision and portraying her as a religious extremist because she lives out her faith.
LifeNews depends on the support of readers like you to combat the pro-abortion media. Please donate now.
“[She] believes judges should be bound by their religious faith and joined anti-choice activists in affirming ‘fidelity’ to the Catholic Church, supporting banning abortion …” NARAL said.
Both pro-life and pro-abortion activists believe Barrett would be a strong voice against abortion on demand on the Supreme Court.
Though her judicial rulings on the issue are few, she has made several statements about the value of babies in the womb. According to the Law and Crime blog, Barrett signed a public letter in 2015 that emphasized “the value of human life from conception to natural death.” In an interview with Notre Dame Magazine, she also stated that “life begins at conception.”
Barrett is a former clerk of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a strong conservative who died unexpectedly in 2016. Like Scalia, Barrett describes herself as an “originalist” judge.
According to Law and Crime: “That means her constitutional philosophy is based in doing what the actual writers of the document wanted. That viewpoint is at odds with Roe’s grounding in an implied First Amendment right to privacy.”
She also is a devout Catholic. The Catholic Church strongly condemns abortion and teaches people to respect and value every human life from conception to natural death. Barrett has seven children, including two who were adopted and one with special needs, according to the AP. She also used to work as a professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School, one of the most prestigious Catholic schools in the U.S.
Pro-abortion Democrats and feminists have attacked Barrett repeatedly for her faith as well as her pro-life statements.
During her Senate confirmation hearing to the Seventh Circuit, pro-abortion Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein told Barrett, “The conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you.”
But Barrett’s voice would be a welcome change to the liberal, pro-abortion female justices on the court. Ginsburg especially was idolized by abortion activists for repeatedly ruling against pro-life laws. Though abortion is considered a “woman’s issue,” polls consistently show that many women are strongly pro-life and a majority want the law to protect unborn babies from abortion, at least in some circumstances.
Tom McClusky of March for Life Action told Politico that he hopes Trump will pick a strong pro-life justice for the Supreme Court.
“I certainly hope the president picks a nominee where it’s more clear that they are pro-life,” McClusky said. “It’s not something that the other side hesitates about, so I don’t see why our side should.”
Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden told the New York Times in January that he will appoint judges who “support Roe v. Wade” if elected.
