Last night, Donald nominated Neil Gorsuch as a Supreme Court Justice. There has been a lot of talk and conspiracy aroud this pick and what it could mean for the country. This pick has the potential to affect the lives of everyone in the US, and especially today’s youth. Teens will be growing up under the influence of this new justice and by what Trump has said in the past, so we have justifiable reason to be skeptical.
During a debate, Trump promised to appoint a pro-life and assumably conservative justice to overturn Roe v. Wade. We can assume that Trump will use this new appointment to begin his vow to essentially undo Obama’s presidency. It’s known that without congress Trump won’t have much power to carry out his conservative and border line fascist agenda, but with the support of another conservative justice? His plans may have a better chance at becoming reality. Through Trump’s problematic cabinet picks, we know that The Annoying Orange seems to be assembling a team of backwards bigots to aid in making America great again for the cishet white man.
With an equal number of liberal v. conservative justices before Trump’s pick, it’s safe to say that power has now (unfortunately) been restored to conservatives. Many describe Gorsuch as a conservative successor to the passed Justice Scalia. Gorsuch is a strong supporter of religious freedom rights, and we now have to wonder if he supports all religions or just his own. Neil is pro-life, in his The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, he said “intentional killing is always wrong.”. On the topic of Roe v. Wade, Gorsuch wrote that there is “no constitutional basis” for giving a mother more rights than her unborn child (The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, p. 82). We can assume that Trump’s promise to overturn Roe v. Wade might be possible with the appointment of Neil Gorsuch.
He favors to interpret the constitution as the founding fathers did, which means he is not progressive and will likely not aim to interpret between the lines of the constitution on controversial topics like abortion and LGBT+ rights. Gorsuch believes a fetus is a person and should be protected by the 14th amendment, so there is a solid probability that the legality abortion may go back to the states. He has also been against the ACA’s requirement for employers to provide birth control to employees because it may violate religious beliefs, a very conservative and pro-life stance.
Gorsuch sided with Utah’s governor Gary Herbert’s effort to defund Planned Parenthood after concerning videos were leaked from Planned Parenthood. It is one thing to not support the criminal activities some Planned Parenthood locations have been involved in and prevent it from happening, but it is another to support the complete defunding of an organization that provides critical women’s reproductive health services.
We can’t assume the worst of Gorsuch until action is taken, but at the least we can establish that he is conservative and pro-life, fulfilling Trump’s promise to try to overturn Roe v. Wade. Many thought that conservatism would be ended after Scalia’s sudden death, but now the Supreme Court has a conservative majority. Many are concluding that the appointment of Neil Gorsuch is a definite success towards Trump’s conservative agenda, and now the chance of overturning Roe v. Wade seems more realistic than when first proposed. To ensure you are in control of your reproductive health in the coming years, take precautions. Talk to your health provider about the best form of birth control for you, always use condoms, or stock up on Plan B if you are worried about pregnancy in the next four years. Don’t let Trump’s political agenda interfere with your body and choice.
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