Senate Majority Robs Americans of Supreme Court Seat 

Instead of Passing COVID-19 Relief, Senate Majority Confirms Reproductive Rights Opponent Amy Coney Barrett

WASHINGTON, DC — On Monday, against the wishes of the American people, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the United States Supreme Court. This marks the end of the Senate majority’s unprecedented and illegitimate confirmation process, led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, according to Planned Parenthood Action Fund.. The Senate majority sped through this process and broke multiple committee rules in order to rush this confirmation before Election Day. Not a single Democratic senator voted to confirm Judge Barrett.

The rush to fill this seat before passing any pandemic relief underscores a complete disregard for the global health crisis that has infected more than 8.7 million people in the U.S., taken the lives of more than 225,000, and left 7.9% of the workforce unemployed. This partisan process also ignored the fact that the election has been long underway — more than 60 million people have already voted and 62% of Americans said this seat should be filled by the winner of this election.

Following is a statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, president, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

“In the midst of a global health crisis, with more than 225,000 dead in this country, Mitch McConnell prioritized this sham process over passing desperately needed COVID relief — and he openly admitted it. Senate majority leadership has compromised the safety and well-being of Americans by ignoring this pandemic, and they’ve done it to confirm a Supreme Court justice who will be an active threat to our health and rights. This is a lifetime position, and this partisan, malicious theft of the people’s seat will be felt for generations to come. For decades, this change in the court will threaten our civil rights, access to health care, freedom to marry, legal protections from discrimination, and reproductive health and rights. But we are far from defeated. This phony confirmation process is over but this election is not. We deserve leaders who respect our wishes and who champion our health and rights — and we’re going to make absolutely sure these senators and Donald Trump know that.”

Planned Parenthood Action Fund has proudly endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president of the United States and is supporting candidates up and down the ballot to expand our current pro-reproductive health care majority in the U.S. House and win a pro-reproductive health care majority in the U.S. Senate. The Action Fund supports top Senate candidates, including Jaime Harrison (SC), Sara Gideon (ME), John Hickenlooper (CO), and Mark Kelly (AZ), who are challenging sitting senators who supported Barrett’s nomination. Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations are running a $45 million campaign this election — their largest ever — and mobilizing 16 million Planned Parenthood supporters to encourage people to get involved and help elect reproductive freedom champions up and down the ballot.