National pro-life and faith leaders celebrated the confirmation Monday night of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Senate voted to confirm Barrett’s nomination by President Donald Trump, 52-48, with only Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) voting with Democrats.
“Justice Barrett is literally a dream that today became a reality,” Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said in a statement, adding her confirmation is “a highlight of the most successful four years in office for any U.S. president.”
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List), said Barrett’s confirmation to the nation’s highest Court “marks a turning point in the fight to protect unborn children.”
“Today our nation gained a brilliant woman jurist on our highest court,” the pro-life leader celebrated. “The American people can now see a glimmer of light at the end of a dark tunnel, when the Supreme Court may finally return to the people the ability to enact laws that reflect their values and save lives.”
Dannenfelser reflected as well on the importance of Republicans maintaining the Senate majority:
This victory would not be possible without the unwavering leadership of President Trump, Leader McConnell, and our pro-life Senate majority. They have worked seamlessly to confirm three Supreme Court justices and 215 lower court judges. This legacy is on the ballot next week, as Democrats are hell-bent on expanding the Supreme Court and adding lower court judges if they win. We must re-elect President Trump and our Senate majority to preserve the Supreme Court and the integrity of the judiciary.
A poll sponsored by SBA List and conducted by The Marist Poll shows that nearly two in three voters (61 percent) – including 63 percent of Independents and 31 percent of Democrats – oppose Joe Biden adding more justices to the Supreme Court if he is elected president.
Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino also stated Barrett’s confirmation “is a historic achievement for the conservative legal movement, which has persevered for more than three decades in pursuit of a Supreme Court majority that will follow the Constitution.”
“And tonight, we’ve achieved that goal,” she added.
Former Planned Parenthood manager-turned pro-life activist Abby Johnson expressed in a statement that while Barrett has “achieved the pinnacle of her profession,” she is also a wife and mother raising a large family and embracing those roles as well:
I’m going to remember this day when Amy Coney Barrett, an accomplished woman in her own right, achieved the pinnacle of her profession while raising a family, embracing her role as a wife, and demonstrating that it’s all possible without abortion. Her confirmation hearings were a testament alone to her astute legal mind, her compassion for others, and ability to fulfill her role as the next Supreme Court Justice.
“She has done all of this by embracing her very femininity, not rejecting it,” Johnson said.
Catholics, in particular, are rejoicing as one of their own is confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote – a national faith-based advocacy organization – said in a statement:
Catholics in America are especially energized by the Senate’s confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Justice Barrett clearly demonstrated she has the qualities, knowledge, and skill needed to be a fair and independent Justice for every American. Senators that voted to confirm Justice Barrett are to be commended for focusing on her eminent qualifications and commitment to fairness and the rule of law, rather than the ugly anti-Catholic attacks that threatened to tarnish this process.
In North Carolina, Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of NC Values, said Barrett’s confirmation is “a fulfillment of President Trump’s promise to appoint pro-life judges who will carry out the Constitution and laws as written, without contorting the law to reach a desired outcome.”
“There is no one more qualified to sit on the Supreme Court than Justice Barrett,” Fitzgerald added, citing her originalist and textualist judicial foundation. Additionally, however, she said Barrett’s Christian faith and devotion to her family make her an appealing choice.
“Having a mother of seven serve in such a high-profile office is proof that women don’t need abortion to succeed in life,” she said.
Jeanne Mancini, the leader of the largest pro-life event in the world, the March for Life, said pro-life Americans are all too familiar with the dangers brought about by activist judges.
“But all Americans can celebrate the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who possesses the skill and character needed to sit on the high court,” she said. “She will protect the constitutional rights of everyone without prejudice and has pledged to fairly apply the law and interpret the constitution as it was written.”
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said with Barrett, “there is no better example of a nominee showing calm, poise, and decency in the face of opposition.”
“She never wavered as the Left made a mockery of her faith,” he observed. “Senate Democrats even refused to show up for her committee vote. While these tactics may satisfy some on the radical Left, polls showed the American people rallying to Judge Barrett’s side.”
Perkins added Barrett’s originalist philosophy will help to “return our judiciary to a proper understanding of the Constitution’s powers.”