Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court Confirmation Would Threaten the Right to Safe, Legal Abortion Nationwide
By Miriam Berg | Oct. 13, 2020, 12:28 p.m.
Category: Abortion
Amy Coney Barrett’s views are dangerously out of touch with most Americans' and she holds positions that will be a direct threat to our lives and rights — including our health care and reproductive and sexual freedom — for generations to come.
If the Senate confirms Judge Amy Coney Barrett, roughly 25 million women of reproductive age could lose abortion access. Here's how we know:
1.) Barrett has a long record of hostility to reproductive health and rights. Her writings, speeches, and rulings all add up to another vote to restrict abortion rights if she is confirmed to the Supreme Court.
2.) If Roe v. Wade is overturned, individual states will decide whether abortion is legal. Ten states in the South, Midwest, and Mountain West regions could ban abortion through “trigger laws” — designed to automatically make abortion illegal if Roe v. Wade falls. And right now, 17 abortion-related cases are one step from the Supreme Court — most involve restrictions that effectively ban abortion, without the need to overturn Roe v. Wade directly.
3.) 20 states have a combination of “trigger laws,” “pre-Roe bans,” and/or legislatures hostile to reproductive health care. The politicians in power in these “hostile” states oppose abortion and have an established history of passing extreme abortion restrictions — including six-week abortion bans that strip access before many people even know they’re pregnant.
Existing Abortion Restrictions Hurt People With Low Incomes the Most
For many people, Roe v. Wade is ALREADY meaningless. In the past decade, states have passed hundreds of abortion restrictions that make safe, legal abortion out of reach for people who can’t overcome unfair and costly barriers — such as long distance travel to get to the closest abortion provider, or taking time off work because of medically unnecessary two-trip requirements. The restrictions harm people with low incomes and Black and Brown people, and all women who are forced to navigate racist and discriminatory systems.
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After the Senate confirmed Justice Brett Kavanaugh last year, 12 states passed 25 abortion bans. Although all of these laws are blocked by lower courts, some are making their way up through the appeals process.
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Since 2011, states have passed more than 480 abortion restrictions — such as mandatory waiting periods, two-trip requirements, bans on insurance coverage, and telehealth abortion bans. These restrictions make it more difficult, and often or impossible, for people with low incomes and communities of color to access the care they need.
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Now, five states in the U.S. have only one abortion provider left: Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
Take Action for Justice: Email Your Senators!
President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell want to install Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court before the November election. Tell your senators to say “NO” to a vote — or even a hearing — on any nominee before Inauguration Day.
Tags: SCOTUS, Mitch McConnell, President Trump
