GOP Congressman Doug Collins pays tribute to '30 million babies murdered' after RBG defended pro-abortion laws
Republican Congressman Doug Collins took a dig at late Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg's pro-choice record as he reacted to the news of her death.
The Georgia Republican has been outspoken about his pro-life views and was part of President Donald Trump's defense team during his impeachment trial in January. The US Supreme Court has a vacant spot on its panel following Ginsburg's passing, and it could soon be filled by one of Trump's nominees. It's worth noting that the Supreme Courts already leans conservative due to a panel majority, but Collins hoped that the next Supreme Court judge would be pro-life as well, Newsweek reported.
"RIP to the more than 30 million innocent babies that have been murdered during the decades that Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended pro-abortion laws," Collins tweeted. "With @realDonaldTrump nominating a replacement that values human life, generations of unborn children have a chance to live."
RIP to the more than 30 million innocent babies that have been murdered during the decades that Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended pro-abortion laws. With @realDonaldTrump nominating a replacement that values human life, generations of unborn children have a chance to live.
— Doug Collins (@CollinsforGA) September 19, 2020
It's true that Ginsburg was a staunch supporter of a woman's right to have an abortion. "The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a woman's life, to her well-being and dignity," she declared in 2018. "It is a decision she must make for herself." That said, the void left by Ginsburg could soon be filled. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Trump's conservative appointments to federal courts on Friday, September 18. "President Trump's nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate," McConnell said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the president has upheld the importance of picking conservative judges throughout the campaign trail. Texas Senator Ted Cruz was reportedly one of the names in Trump's shortlist of potential SCOTUS nominees. Trump said during his Minnesota rally on September 18 that he added Cruz to the list to ensure "we have somebody that's going to get approved and the only person I could think of is Ted." The president wasn't aware of RBG's passing when he made the remarks.
Senator Cruz told Fox News' Sean Hannity that Trump should make a nomination as quickly as possible. "We are one vote away from losing our constitutional liberties," Cruz said. "I believe that the president should, next week, nominate a successor to the court and I think it is critical that the Senate takes up and confirms that successor before election day."
Starting her career in 1960, a time when women weren't equitably represented amongst the high ranks of the justice system, Ginsburg wanted to be a Supreme Court clerk but was allegedly rejected because of gender. Determined to be part of the legal profession, she fought her way in and became a prominent voice for the advancement of women's rights. A few years later, she made it to the nation's highest court becoming the second woman justice ever. Part of landmark Supreme Court decisions, she soon became a celebrated figure and a cultural icon.
Ginsburg's life was full of overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. From the time in 1972 when she became the first female full professor at Columbia Law School to receiving the American Bar Association Medal, the association's highest honor, in 2010, Ginsburg's life was full of iconic moments. Not only was she the one to launch the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) Women's Rights Project, she was the first-ever Supreme Court justice to officiate a same-sex marriage.