Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second female Supreme Court justice. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1993, and the simple fact of her seat on the Supreme Court made a difference to teen girls everywhere. She was a feminist icon. She contributed significantly to women’s rights in America, and her fire and constant pursuit of equality is something girls everywhere admire. She broke stereotypes and crossed barriers with persistence and passion. 

Initially, feminists were concerned about Justice Ginsburg because she had reservations about Roe vs. Wade, which is the Supreme Court ruling that gave women the right to choose to have an abortion. They were worried she wasn’t going to protect women’s reproductive rights. Though in complete support of a woman’s right to choose, Ginsburg had reservations about the way the law was written. She was wary of the fact that Roe vs. Wade was written based on privacy instead of gender equality, and felt this wasn’t strong enough and left the law vulnerable to attack in the future. 

Now, unfortunately, Justice Ginsburg’s death is quite untimely since Trump is still the President, and is set on pushing through a replacement for her who is conservative. On September 23rd, he nominated Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative judge. Barrett has ruled on two different abortion-related cases in the past, and she has sided with more restrictions on abortion rights in both. She has stated in the past that abortion is “always immoral.” If Barrett is approved, it could be the last step to reversing Roe vs. Wade. If President Trump succeeds in filling Justice Ginsburg’s seat with Barrett, it could potentially be detrimental for teens and women across America. 

If Joe Biden became president and Democrats won a majority in the Senate, they could potentially change the Supreme Court to include more judges on the court. This could give Congress a chance to rebalance the court in order for it to be more liberal and likely to preserve Roe vs. Wade. But if this doesn’t happen for any reason, then teen girls who become pregnant face real danger.  

Without the right to have an abortion, pregnant teenagers have three options: adoption, keeping the child, or seeking an illegal and possibly unsafe abortion. If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, teens will still get pregnant and won’t stop having abortions. They will just seek illegal ones and risk traumatic experiences, infection, death, and the inability to have kids in the future if they so choose. They could also be charged with breaking the law. 

Justice Ginsburg believed in the right for every woman to choose. If her seat is filled by Barrett, Roe vs. Wade is at severe risk of being overturned. There is so much harm that can come from Barrett filling Justice Ginsburg’s seat. This is a historic moment for our country, with potentially devastating consequences for women and teen girls.