Leaders React to Barrett Confirmation

Forty-eight-year-old Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in just one week before election day and could quite possibly serve on the United States Supreme Court for the next three decades. Her Senate vote of 52 to 48 was one of the closest in history, reports CNN Politics. Her appointment to replace Justice Ginsberg was pushed through the Republican-run Senate in a mere month.

Barrett’s policies and previous statements have gotten a lot of criticism from pro-choice and reproductive rights groups. The following statement was released October 26, and is attributed to Vicki Cowart, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains Action Fund:

“The confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court is an insult to the legacy of Justice Ruth
Bader Ginsburg and a direct attack on our health and rights. Barrett has made no secret of her hostility toward reproductive rights and has suggested that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided. Her extreme judicial philosophy
is decidedly at odds with decades of established precedent. Let’s be clear: she does not respect the impartiality that our justice system demands.

“With 17 abortion-related cases just one step from the Supreme Court, Barrett’s anti-abortion views could have a grave impact on abortion care access in this country. It now becomes more important than ever that voters are engaged in protecting their rights at the state level, including defeating Proposition 115, the harmful, intentionally deceptive abortion ban on the ballot in Colorado, and working to repeal the outdated abortion ban that remains on the books in New Mexico.

“Our health and our rights are at stake. PPRMAF remains committed to fighting for the non-negotiable human rights of all individuals to access the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion care.”

In addition, U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette of Colorado and Barbara Lee of California, as co-chairs of the Congressional, Pro-Choice Caucus, issued the following statement after the Senate voted tonight to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court:

“This entire confirmation process has made a mockery out of the highest court in the land. Today’s vote to confirm Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court is an affront to democracy as we know it—women, vulnerable communities, and working families are going to suffer because of this for generations to come.

“The United States is eight days away from one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. Millions of Americans have already cast their ballots, but Mitch McConnell and Senate republicans jammed through this illegitimate confirmation with no regard for giving the American people a say in this process.

“As leaders of the Pro-Choice Caucus, we are fully aware of the danger this nomination presents to women around the country. President Trump has spent years promising to only nominate justices who are hostile towards abortion. During the 2016 election, he campaigned on his commitment to nominating justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade. And, despite Republicans’ unwillingness to publicly acknowledge their intent to strip women of their constitutional rights, we’ve always known that the nominee to replace the late Justice Ginsburg would be a vessel through which they could do so.

“It comes as no surprise that Judge Barrett’s record reflects years of hostility towards Roe and access to reproductive care. Tonight’s confirmation is a devastating development in our decades-long fight for reproductive freedom. But, we are going to ensure officials at every level of government in every state across the country are committed to protecting reproductive freedoms, especially for low-income [women] and women of color. This fight is not over with this confirmation. Let this serve as a renewed commitment to continuing our work in Congress and in the states.”