By Kate Weldon LeBlanc
As an independent non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, informing, and advocating for all those in New England who are struggling with fertility and family building, Resolve New England (RNE) opposes the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). The next Supreme Court Justice will have a major impact on many issues that are priorities of our organization, including family building, reproductive health, and health care access. We have deep concerns about Judge Barrett, on behalf of the millions of Americans who rely on fertility treatment and other paths to parenthood to grow much wanted families. This includes those with a diagnosis of infertility and LGBTQ+ people.
Judge Barrett has publicly supported St. Joseph County Right to Life, an organization that believes, in part, that life begins with fertilization. RNE strongly opposes such “embryo personhood” because it would fundamentally restrict in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other urgently needed fertility treatment. We are worried that if a case related to Assisted Reproductive Technology, such as IVF, were to be heard by SCOTUS, Judge Barrett’s decisions would be based on her personal beliefs, rather than the law and Constitution. This would have a devastating effect on the fertility care that is so dearly needed to build families. Finally, Judge Barrett’s writings about the Affordable Care Act signal that access to reproductive health care is at risk with her on the bench.
Consistent with our advocacy mission, RNE wrote this week to all the U.S. Senators who represent Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont to express our concerns about Judge Barrett. We are committed to all our neighbors (over 300,000 in New England alone) who need accessible, safe fertility treatment to achieve their dream of parenthood.