Amy Coney Barrett’s appointment to the Supreme Court brings risks

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As of Monday, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, was sworn in as the Supreme Court justice to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Barrett, 48, will become the Supreme Court’s youngest justice and the first justice to be a working mother of school-aged children. She would also be joining the Supreme Court with only three years of experience as a federal circuit judge. 

Barrett has worked under late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, who was considered one of the court’s most conservative justices on the bench.

Taking the position after her mentor, Barrett will interpret the law on a conservative view and thus turn the Supreme Court to the right with a 6-3 majority rule.

According to The Washington Post, the first case Barrett will be hearing is on overturning the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. It is expected that she would vote in favor of repealing it.

In these times of health crisis, the repeal of Obamacare would be a devastating blow to the 22 million  Americans that depend on it. More importantly those with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes and asthma, are the most affected of patients with COVID.

Why should a justice with three years of work experience make the life or death decision of 22 million Americans? That’s just foolish.

On top of that, Barrett is a threat to women’s right to reproductive health and not just abortion rights.

According to NBC News, she poses a threat to the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is used to help both heterosexual and homosexual couples conceive a child.

To get rid of these reproductive medical advancements is to move backwards in history and outright ignores the sacrifices our ancestors made for these to be accessible. 

In addition, Barrett has refused to say that she would uphold legal birth control and, during her confirmation hearing, continued to avoid the questions surrounding the topic. 

Banning legal abortions and removing contraceptives does not signal a pro-life stance but rather a pro-birth agenda where the only thing that matters is the birth of a child but not whether that child is housed, fed, or clothed. 

This is Barrett’s and the Republican party’s stance.

After being legalized for just five years, same sex marriage is also at risk from being stripped away from homosexual couples.

It would not ban all same-sex marriage in the United States but it will be made legal for states to ban same sex marriage and to reject out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses. This would further discriminate against those in the LGBTQ+ community in states in the South. 

According to NPR, during her confirmation hearing, Barrett repeatedly used the term “sexual preference” and was even called out by Sen. Mazie Hirono, calling the term “offensive” and “outdated.”

Being part of the LGBTQ+ community is not a choice because it is what people chose to identify as and calling it a “sexual preference” is belittling the existence of the LGBTQ+ community.  

Lastly, immigration rights such as students who are DREAMers are at risk of having their rights taken away.

According to The New Yorker, back in June, the Supreme Court ruled against Trump’s bid to end the DACA program.

This ensured that children brought from out of the country under the age of 16 will be eligible to the same rights as a U.S. citizen. With Barrett, that could all change. 

Dreamers would be treated as undocumented immigrants and would be deported from the United States – the only home they’ve ever known.

It is outrageous to take the home of about 700,000 Dreamers on the basis that they weren’t born here, even though they grew up here.

The Republican party has made it clear that they do not have the same values as the American people and only base their decisions on their personal agendas. 

That is to control the American people in every way possible and remain in power for as long as they can. That, in itself, is an abuse of power. 

This upcoming election could not have been even more important if it weren’t for the confirmation of Barrett to the Supreme Court and the American people are even more encouraged to vote.

We cannot let the United States become a scene from The Handmaid’s Tale.