Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or as some call her- Notorious RBG, fought for most of her life to change our country; to make it a better and more accepting place. She changed the lives of more than 170 million people! Women and people of the LGBTQ community have her to thank for most of their rights in this country. Yet our president still has trouble respecting her and her legacy. 

As Ginsburg was nearing the end of her life, her granddaughter asked her if there was anything she would like to say to the public or anyone, that was not already out there. Ruth Bader Ginsburg replied saying, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed” and nothing else. Donald Trump has nominated Amy Coney Barrett to be the new Supreme Court Justice. Amy Coney Barrett is by all means a conservative woman. A popular opinion held by many today is that putting a woman in a position of power is equivalent to that of feminist action. But, putting women in powerful positions is not always feminist, especially if they are working to harm more marginalized women with their power. Putting Barrett on the court will put liberals at a huge disadvantage. The court would be tipped to the conservative side six to three. This is a woman who has constantly fought against equal rights for males and females. This is a woman that believes a woman’s place is exactly where her husband tells her to be. Our country, after all of our pitfalls during 2020, can only move forward, right? Wrong. Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed on October 26 as the 6th Republican chosen member in the Supreme Court. Now, our human rights and constitutional freedom are decided by a Supreme Court made of an overbearing number of Republican supporters.

Over the last two months, Amy Coney Barrett was put through multiple confirmation hearings. In one, according to NPR, “the Senate Judiciary Committee released an update to Barrett’s committee questionnaire that included a lecture, a seminar and an ad she signed criticizing Roe v. Wade.” She is against abortion rights, a basic right that should be granted to all women. According to Politifact, “In a 2013 interview, Barrett stated that she believes that life begins at conception… She wrote that the Catholic Church’s views on prohibiting abortion are “absolute” because they “take away innocent life.” … She has ruled against abortion rights in the two abortion cases that she has heard on the bench.” One thing many people hold against Barrett is her open faith in Christianity. Bear in mind that one’s religious beliefs should not be a point of discrimination, but it is not the fact that she is a Christian that worries many people. Instead, it is what she will do, due to her faith and the strong conservatism that it is associated with. 

During the third day of the confirmation hearings, Amy Coney Barrett was asked about mail-in voting. “We’re in the middle of a global pandemic that is forcing voters to choose between their health and their vote,” Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn declared. “Are absentee ballots, or better known as mail-in ballots, an essential way to vote for millions of Americans right now?” To which Barrett replied, “That’s a matter of policy on which I cannot express a view.” Her evasive answers frustrated many people, her true opinions on many of the controversial topics in our country today remain locked away in her mind, kept out of public view. There was an irrational ruling made by Amy Coney Barrett stating that a cop was not at fault for a black teenager’s death as breathing was not a constitutional right. Our country, one that is known for our growth and prosperity, is starting to fall and crumble into a divided nation. 

Amy Coney Barrett claims that she will be better than any of the previous justices and that she is not Trump’s puppet. Yet her answers and the questions she evaded during the hearings claim otherwise. Are we willing to risk yet another far-right Republican in a court meant to protect the rights of everyday Americans?