Written by Fiona Tsamny
Around a month ago during Thanksgiving dinner, my parents and a set of family friends were talking about the new Supreme Court Nominee, Amy Coney Barrett. After I expressed my disapproval of her, one of them turned to me and said something along the lines of: “Don’t democrats and liberals automatically support women?” This line of questioning was something I noticed with alarming frequency. Not only it is an example of ignorance, but of cultural misinformation as well. As the nomination process was occurring, headlines like “What happened to Democrats supporting women?” kept on appearing whenever I looked at the news. People who ask these questions, clearly do not understand what the term feminism stands for.
Recently, we’ve seen the term feminism be associated with man-hating or some extreme female agenda that involves the inferiority of males. In its simplest, truest form, a feminist is merely someone who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.[MOU1] This is its definition in its simplest, truest form.[MOU2] While there has rightfully been an increased desire for female empowerment and support, and more tools to address internalized misogyny, this does not automatically mean that every female leader is automatically supported by other women simply because of her sex or gender. This kind of blind support and disregard for someone’s moral character and beliefs does not fit in the definition of feminism.
Throughout the nomination process, Amy Coney Barrett’s beliefs have come to light. Granted, she is an accomplished academic, ranking first in her class at the University of Notre Dame Law School. However, despite her intellect, there is growing alarm at her ideologies; the religious group she associates with, People of Praise, is notoriously homophobic, and many believe she poses a threat to important decisions regarding reproductive rights. In fact, she has also shown a willingness to disregard people who accuse others of sexual assault. For instance, in the case at Purdue University, she sided with the accused because it seemed like a “he-said/she-said case”. Evidently, these are controversial, conservative opinions that seem to want to revoke the rights granted to females under the law in recent years.
Women or men, whether they be democrats or republicans or part of whichever political party, are not obligated to support Amy Coney Barrett simply because she’s a woman. While there is a need for more female representation in our government, we can’t blindly support any woman who runs for government. Their moral character is up for consideration as well. In the case of Amy Coney Barrett, as seen by her beliefs, there is a justified worry that she would do more harm for women than good. As a woman, I can’t overlook her moral and ideological shortcomings just because I want more female representation. My desire for equality between the sexes is not somehow lessened because I do not support her appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States, and nor is any other feminist’s. There is no point in supporting a woman who would further the inequality between the sexes rather than bridge it.
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