Amy Coney Barrett is a unicorn to the left; To us, she's the future
To the Left, Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a unicorn — she's not supposed to exist. A woman isn't supposed to achieve her dreams of professional success without aborting children — let alone with seven children. A person of faith isn't supposed to possess the intellectual legal prowess to graduate summa cum laude from a prestigious law school, become a judge on a federal appellate court, or be nominated to the nation’s highest court.
But to us, Judge Barrett is the future. All four of us are professional women, working in the traditionally male-dominated fields of law, policy, and politics. All four of us are women of deep faith. Two of us have daughters. One of us is a fellow Hoosier. And we all see our futures and our daughters' futures in Judge Barrett.
Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said it well in his opening comments last week: “This is about you – all the young, conservative women out there. This hearing to me is about a place for you. I hope when this hearing is over, there will be a place for you at the table, a spot for you at the Supreme Court.”
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To be sure, none of us is claiming that we could one day achieve a nomination to the Supreme Court, or that we are "generationally brilliant," as Judge Barrett was described by her Notre Dame colleague and as her confirmation hearings have already shown. But make no mistake, Judge Barrett's nomination (and, we trust, confirmation) marks a sea change for women — and for America.
For starters, abortion is no longer a "women's rights" issue — not that it ever was. Insisting that women had to snuff out the life within them in order to be successful —and labeling those who didn't believe that as "anti-woman" — was always a bill of goods.
Unlike Ranking Member Feinstein (D-CA), who called abortion a woman’s “fundamental right” and seemed to refer to pregnancy as “a problem that all women see one way or another in their life,” we consider our ability to bear life a fundamental privilege and view pregnancy as a miracle reserved for women.
As a mother of seven and a devout Catholic, Judge Barrett has a personal life that indicates she not only agrees with us in theory – but in practice as well.
While women of our generation have been told that we must choose between having a family and succeeding professionally – and that to choose family is the less important, less rewarding decision – in Judge Barrett we see a woman who has done both and emulates the dignity, joy, and paramount importance of bearing the title “mom.”
The future of religious freedom in America looks bright with a Judge Barrett confirmation. She stands for the many women – and men – of deep faith in our country, who wonder if there is still a place for them in public life.
As Senator Josh Hawley reminded us, we live in a free country where “there are no religious tests for office.” Your faith – our faith – give us guiding principles for our lives and be an asset – not a hinderance – to our ability to assume fulfilling, consequential roles.
Cultural and political changes, and even decisions from the Supreme Court, have led many Americans to believe that the words “wall of separation between church and state” exist in the Constitution (they don’t). And many believe that faith should be something only expressed inside the four walls of your home and church. Judge Barrett’s confirmation would signal hope to Americans of deep faith that they do not need to hide.
The future of the Constitution and the proper roles of our branches of government look bright with a Judge Barrett confirmation. Many of the serious threats America faces today to life, family, religious freedom and more found their genesis in bad court decisions where judges or justices attempted to legislate from the bench. Judge’s Barrett’s confirmation is a beacon of hope that the tide is turning back to the proper role of the judiciary — to apply the law equally to all, and to interpret (not create) law as it was intended to mean when written.
America’s future looks bright indeed. Even the Left finds it difficult to criticize the expertise and qualifications of Judge Barrett. Liberal media outlets praised her for not using a single note to answer question after question during her hearings, as she cited court rulings, prior confirmation hearings and more. It gives America reason to hope that we can still be respectful and united in affirming a person’s hard work, intelligence, and qualifications, regardless of our ideological or religious agreement.
For the future of America, for us, and for our daughters, the Senate should confirm Judge Barrett.
Sonja Swiatkiewicz, Amanda Banks, Meridian Baldacci, and Autumn Leva are female members of the Family Policy Alliance Team, based in locations around the country, and serving in leadership roles within the ministry that impacts public policy and elections, at the state and federal levels, from a Christian worldview.
