“Do something outside yourself, something to make life a little better for people less fortunate than you. That’s what I think a meaningful life is. One lives not just for one’s self but for one’s community” (Ruth Bader Ginsburg). Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an esteemed member of the United States Supreme Court, whose life facilitated advances in women’s rights across the nation. Her sudden death marked the advance of a woman who sought to expel those same rights. President Trump has succeeded in cementing a conservative majority on the Supreme Court following the confirmation of his third appointee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett.  Justice Barrett’s confirmation is in direct contradiction with RBG’s denied dying wish to have her seat remain open until the outcome of the 2020 election. 

The appointment of Amy Coney Barrett was a direct contradiction to what Republicans claimed just four years prior in 2016, after Justice Antonin Scalia had passed away, and Obama’s attempt to nominate Merrick Garland was blocked by the Republican senate. Senators demanded that the seat should be filled by the next president, asserting that the American people had a voice in the Supreme Court appointment. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was a particularly notable voice, arguing: “If there’s a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, let the next President, whoever it might be, make that nomination…and you could use my words against me.” That was 293 days before Obama’s term ended. Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed only 8 days before election day, after 60 million Americans had already voted. Her confirmation hearings were completed in record speed in order to guarantee her spot and begin attempts to gut the Affordable Care Act, hollow out abortion rights, and advance Trump’s policy to require a wealth test from millions of immigrants. On November 10th, Justice

Barrett is expected to hear a case where 20 historically red states have requested to repeal the entire Affordable Care Act. This would eliminate the provided health care coverage to over 20 million people in the midst of a pandemic. It is no secret that Justice Barrett’s religious affiliations oppose a woman’s right to safe abortion. Restricting access to safe abortion has never proven to be a driving factor in decreasing abortion rates, it has, however, been the main cause of maternal mortality for years. Annually, almost 70,000 women die from unsafe abortions, a number that is expected to skyrocket if it’s now made illegal. Although Barrett refers to Roe v. Wade as a “settled precedent”, it is speculated she will be supporting regulations to birth control and IVF—the only solution many women have in order to avoid abortion. 

Amy Coney Barrett, like many nominees before her, was a controversial addition to the Supreme Court. Now, she is being closely watched by millions across America who are wondering what her next step will be in deciding the fate of our country. While many Trump supporters are praising Justice Amy Barrett for her traditional ideals, insisting that she is the key to restoring our constitutional values, others are focused on how her appointment could harm numerous communities across the country.