Politics

‘Our Lives Depend On It’: Woman Who Obtained An Abortion Begs Senate Judiciary Committee Not To Confirm Barrett

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A woman who obtained an abortion as a teenager urged the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday not to confirm Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

Abortion advocate Crystal Good spoke virtually to the committee during the fourth day of Barrett’s confirmation hearings where she shared how she obtained an abortion at age 16. Good described herself as a writer-poet, small business owner, advocate for survivors of sexual abuse, and a “proud mother of three brilliant children.”

“Who I am today is only possible because at 16 years old, I had access to an abortion,” she said.

Good said she was sexually abused by her white stepfather, who was reportedly not convicted until 2012, “more than 30 years” after he began abusing Good.

“When I told the grown folks in my life, they did not believe me at first, and then refused to hold my views accountable once the truth was out,” she said. “At 16, while in a relationship that brought me joy and made me feel safe, I, like 2.7 million Americans a year, had an unintended pregnancy. Immediately I knew I wanted an abortion, a safe medical procedure that one in four U.S. women will have in their lifetime.”

“For many reasons, including the decade of abuse she did not protect me from, I could not tell my mother,” she said. Good described obtaining a judicial bypass and the relief she felt that “an adult believed me.”

“I still think what might have happened if I did not have a list of accomplishments or the judge did not think I was competent enough to think when I could start my family, or if he believed the harmful stereotype I was raised to believe that black girls were fast and promiscuous,” she said.

Good criticized states requiring parental consent or notification for minors to obtain abortions, adding that she has put her faith in the Supreme Court to protect her right to abortion, the Affordable Care Act, and “workplace protection for my transgender daughter.”

“With this nomination, I am losing faith,” Good said. “Although the way I have chosen to create my family is demonized by some politicians, the reality is that we are like most families across the nation. I have had an abortion. I have two sons and a daughter who is trans. I love my children.”

She continued: “Please, listen to people who have had abortions. Hear us when we ask you, do not confirm this nominee. Our future, our families, our lives depend on it. We, too, are America.”

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Barrett, whom President Donald Trump nominated to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the court, is personally pro-life and has signed a statement affirming her position on abortion.

Barrett told the Senate that she would not make judicial decisions based on her personal beliefs.

“Judges don’t have campaign promises,” she said.