Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today joined 126 House colleagues in the Pro-Choice Caucus in urging Senate leadership to approve an urgently needed pandemic relief package over the approval of an extremist Supreme Court justice who has an anti-women’s health record. In their letter, available online here, Pingree and her colleagues outlined Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s long history of undercutting reproductive rights and her established opposition to the Affordable Care Act. 

“While the pandemic continues to ravage the lives and economic well-being of people living in the United States and disproportionately impacts communities of color, the Senate refuses to take any action to address this suffering,” wrote the lawmakers in their letter. “Instead of voting on a COVID-19 relief package, Senate Republicans are focused on cementing their control of the judiciary, riling up their base ahead of the election, and pushing through the confirmation of a lifetime appointment to our nation’s highest court at a breakneck pace.”

The lawmakers continued: “Judge Barrett’s record shows she is a clear and present threat to Roe and reproductive freedom. She has publicly opposed abortion and ascribes to such extreme views that she could also call into question the legality of certain forms of birth control and fertility care. She has suggested that Roe is an “erroneous decision”, stated that life begins at conception, sided with states trying to restrict abortion access, and joined anti-choice groups in voicing opposition to the Affordable Care Act’s coverage of contraception…Confirming her nomination risks the most fundamental rights and freedoms of all Americans: reproductive rights, access to health care, equality for LGBTQ+ people, gender equality, voting rights, racial justice, immigrant rights, environmental justice, and so much more.”

There are currently 17 abortion-related cases that are only one step away from the Supreme Court. In November, just days after the presidential election, the Court will hear oral arguments in a case that challenges the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, putting the health coverage of 20 million Americans in the balance. Judge Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court would cement a conservative supermajority on the court and would tip the balance for generations to come.

After news of Justice Ginsberg’s passing, Pingree released a statement opposing the confirmation of a new Supreme Court Justice, urging Majority Leader McConnell to wait until Inauguration Day in January. She also released a statement opposing Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court, citing her anti-women health’s record and opposition to the Affordable Care Act. 

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