CONCORD – On Monday night, Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan stood up for the health and rights of Granite Staters and voted against the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Barrett’s record indicates she could jeopardize access to health care and sexual and reproductive care for generations.

Speaking from the Senate floor, Senator Shaheen highlighted Judge Barrett’s long history of opposition to abortion rights:

“When he ran for President in 2016, Donald Trump promised to nominate judges who will overturn Roe v. Wade. Well, very seeing that very clearly with Judge Barrett’s record. It shows that President Trump is trying to do just that — overturn Roe v. Wade,” Senator Shaheen said.

During her floor speech, Senator Hassan underlined the grave risk that Barrett poses to the Affordable Care Act:

“President Trump said he wanted to “terminate” the Affordable Care Act, and has said that he would nominate judges who would do just that. One week after this election just nine days away, the Supreme Court will hear the lawsuit supported by the Trump administration to repeal the entire Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. It’s no secret that this is why Senate Republicans have rushed Judge Barrett’s nomination through,” Senator Hassan said.

Statement from Derek Edry, Planned Parenthood Votes NH Spokesperson:

“Last night, Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan stood with Granite Staters in opposition to Amy Coney Barrett’s appointment to the Supreme Court, proving again their unwavering commitment to defending our reproductive health and rights. Granite Staters will remember that our senators stood on the right side of history when they head to the ballot box this election season — and we will remember how President Trump and Senate Republicans enabled this sham process.”

Justice Barrett is a threat to our reproductive freedom and health. President Donald Trump has made it clear that he would only appoint justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade and strike down the ACA. Judge Barrett’s record makes it clear why Trump believes she passes his litmus test. On the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, she signed a full two-page newspaper ad opposing abortion, which referred to Roe v. Wade’s legacy as “barbaric.” Then during her confirmation hearing, Barrett said that Roe v. Wade, which has been law for more than 45 years, is not “super precedent” because it is not “well settled” — making it clear that, in her legal opinion, Roe can be reconsidered. Barrett also refused to say whether Griswold v. Connecticut, which recognized the fundamental right to contraception for married couples, was properly decided.

With 17 abortion cases just one step from the Supreme Court, Barrett’s anti-abortion views could have a grave impact on abortion access in this country. Access to abortion is hanging by a thread across the country, and for too many people — specifically Black and Brown communities forced to navigate a legacy of systemic racism and discriminatory policies — the promise of Roe is already meaningless because abortion is inaccessible. Attacks on abortion rights go against Granite State values: 64 percent of Granite Staters believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and there is no state in this country where making abortion illegal is popular.

The Supreme Court will hear a case on the Trump-supported lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act one week after Election Day. If confirmed, Barrett could put access to health coverage and care in jeopardy for tens of millions of people across the country and more than 100,000 Granite Staters in the middle of a pandemic. She has already been critical of the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that all health plans include no copay birth control coverage, signing a letter that misleadingly referred to contraception as including “abortion-inducing drugs.” She also publicly criticized the 2012 Supreme Court decision that upheld the Affordable Care Act, then in 2015, agreed with the dissenters who would have put an end to one of its core components.

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