IWHC Urges Senate to Reject Amy Coney Barrett's Nomination to Supreme Court

NEW YORK, Sept. 28 -- The International Women's Health Coalition issued the following news release on Sept. 26:

Today, President Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court. The International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC) rejects this attempt to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat and urges the Senate to not consider a nominee until the US election has been decided.

"Amy Coney Barrett is an extreme ideologue that, if confirmed, will threaten decades of progress on human rights and gender justice," said Director of Advocacy and Policy Shannon Kowalski. "Whoever fills Justice Ginsburg's seat will be a pivotal vote on issues of reproductive rights, health care access, and protections for marginalized groups. With voting already underway and less than 40 days until Election Day, the decision to appoint the next Supreme Court Justice should lie with the president and senators elected by the American people on November 3."

Throughout her career, Barrett has worked to undo Justice Ginsburg's legacy of advancing gender equality and justice. She is a pure originalist and believes that the law should be strictly interpreted based on the legislative intent at the time of passage, a clear sign that she will not acknowledge discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. She is vocal opponent of abortion rights and LGBTQI rights, and has engaged with the Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-LGBTQI hate group that advocates against LGBTQI rights and sexual and reproductive rights domestically and globally.

Like many in the Trump administration, Barrett prioritizes religious freedom at the expense of women, girls, LGBTQI people, and marginalized communities worldwide. She signed a petition arguing against the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate, declaring that it infringed on religious freedom. In a 2006 speech to Notre Dame graduates she stated: "Your legal career is but a means to an end...that end is building the kingdom of God." Barrett believes that life begins at conception and is a member of an extreme Christian organization, People for Praise, that served as inspiration for Margret Atwood's dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale. If allowed to serve on the Supreme Court, she will carry the influence of this extreme Catholic ideology to the nation's highest court, an ominous sign for anyone that values human rights and the separation of Church and State.

The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett has the potential to alter the balance of the Supreme Court for decades and threatens the progress that was at the heart of Justice Ginsburg's extraordinary career. The Senate must reject her nomination and wait for the outcome of the election before moving to fill the seat vacated by the untimely passing of Justice Ginsburg.