Who Is Amy Coney Barrett And What Does Her Supreme Court Nomination Mean For Abortion Rights In The USA?
Amy Coney Barrett – Trump’s supreme court nomination is everything Ruth Bader Ginsburg wasn’t. It is a painful irony that one of the most revered feminist judges will be replaced with one who has a questionable record when it comes to womxn’s rights. Coney Barrett is opposed to abortion and in 2006 she signed a Pro-life advert that called Roe vs Wade, ‘barbaric.’ So, what really are her views and what will this mean for the landmark ruling in 1973 that gave everyone the right to bodily autonomy in the USA?
Barrett who is a devout catholic, who has garnered much support from the republican right, she has stated that her religious beliefs do not influence her or her decisions, but her remarks on gay marriage and abortion say otherwise. The 48-year-old studied law at the University of Notre Dame, graduating first in her class. She went on to work as a clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, who she described as the, ‘staunchest conservative,’ of the supreme court. She defines herself as an originalist, which means that she believes the words of the constitution should be translated as the authors intended. However, many feel that this strict approach has no place in modern times.
On Thursday 1st October it came to light that that Coney Barrett had endorsed an advert by the pro-life organisation the St Joseph County Right to Life Group, based in South Bend, Indiana, where she is based. The two-page ad referred to the landmark ruling of Roe vs Wade as ‘barbaric,’ and reiterated that life began at fertilization. Barrett signed the letter when she was a law professor at Notre Dame in 2006. The advert called for the end of Roe vs Wade and to, ‘and restore law that protects the lives of unborn children.’ It also claimed that most of the abortions performed in the USA, were for social reasons or as a, ‘method of birth-control.’ In an interview with The Guardian, the group’s founder reiterated their belief that life began at conception, they also expressed their opposition to IVF, remarking that the disposal of frozen embryos in the IVF process is akin to abortion.
The group openly calls for the criminalisation of doctors who perform abortions and of medical facilities which dispose of frozen embryos. They remarked that at this point, ‘we are not supportive of criminalizing the women.’ The fact that Barrett has endorsed such an organisation yet claims her personal beliefs will have no influence in her role, doesn’t seem genuine. She has also faced condemnation from LGTBQ+ groups for her support of People of Faith, another religious organisation that has strict guidelines within its school system that state sexual relations should only exist between a married man and woman. LGTBQ+ advocacy groups have called her appointment a, ‘absolute threat to LGBT rights.’
What was Roe vs Wade?
Roe vs Wade was a landmark ruling that took place in 1973, in which the supreme court ruled that the US constitution protected the privacy of a pregnant person to have an abortion without barriers from their government.
However, even with this ruling, abortion care in the USA can be hard to access, with many conservative states making accessing a termination more or less impossible. In 2019, 17 states in the USA brought in legislation to restrict abortion access, with 12 opting for abortion bans. Alabama enacted a law that banned abortions in all cases, the states of Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Ohio made headlines worldwide with their infamous, ‘heartbeat bills,’ which prohibits abortion once a foetal heartbeat is picked up during a scan – which is at around 6 weeks. Four states – Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri have enacted bans that would become law once Roe vs Wade is overturned. In a response to this, 13 states and the district of Colombia have set trigger bans in place, so that if Roe vs Wade is overturned abortion rights will be protected.
Barrett is Trump’s third supreme court nomination, if appointed this will shift the supreme court to the conservative right. The issue of Roe vs Wade is one that many in this section of society in America have been trying to overturn for decades, with Barrett’s appointment, this may now actually be a reality. There is now a real fear that this shift is the first step to unravelling Roe vs Wade, that the rights which were so fiercely fought for, now hang in the balance and could very soon be resigned to the history books.
However, there is one thing that might delay her nomination – Covid-19. On Friday 2nd October the US President announced he had tested positive for the virus. On Saturday 3rd October news came that 3 Republican senators had also contracted the disease. There isn’t much time to confirm the nomination. Republicans are trying to advance her nomination as quickly as possible, however without the votes of the three senators, the approval could be uncertain. They currently have a 53-47 majority in the senate, but with two Republican senators already saying they will vote against and now three who will be too unwell to confirm Barrett, there may not be enough votes or time. With the future of so many lives hanging in the balance due to so much uncertainty, who knows what the next few weeks will bring. However, one thing is for certain, if Trump wins the upcoming election, Barrett will be confirmed and with that brings the very real possibility that Roe vs Wade will be overturned.
Written by Sarah Rose
Sarah Rose is a freelance writer from Belfast who writes about all things pelvic pain. She uses her Instagram platform mypelvicpain to share her journey with endometriosis and raise awareness around this condition and its impact on her life. Sarah’s sole aim is to help others and ensure that no one ever has to suffer in silence again.