President Donald Trump plans to use new Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett as an aid to his campaign promise to defund Planned Parenthood, the health care clinic by blocking them from receiving taxpayer dollars. 

Since the death of Supreme Court chairmen Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Trump has nominated conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett. He plans to use this newly approved justice and the court’s conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade, the court case on abortion legalization. This would result in the forced closing of Planned Parenthood and other clinics that in some cases provide abortions

The legalization of abortion has been a controversial topic since 1976, when abortion services were blocked from receiving federal Medicaid funding by the Hyde Amendment, according to Planned Parenthood. In 1994, the abortion laws were slimmed down to only include a pregnancy that would endanger the patient if it were to continue, or if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest. Currently, many citizens of America are fighting to protect Planned Parenthood,  and guarantee the legalization of abortion in all 50 states. 

If the case gets overturned, Planned Parenthood says that “2.4 million Planned Parenthood patients could lose access to birth control, STD tests, cancer screenings, wellness exams, and more.” They define abortion as “a safe and legal way to end a pregnancy.” But, with newly confirmed Justice Barrett, the legality could soon be changed

Since 2016, President Trump has appointed 2 Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. With the court’s vacancy Trump has appointed Barrett as a third Republican-leaning judge to the Court. 

During the confirmation hearings of Justice Barrett, she declined on many occasions to answer questions with any political weight, to avoid providing a precedent for what her decisions may be during her role as a SCOTUS judge. However, when asked about her signature on two anti-abortion advertisements from 2006, Barrett claimed to hold “their commitment to the position of the Catholic Church on life issues.” Though her view is up for interpretation, based on Barrett’s history it is likely she will aid in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, therefore ensuring the defunding of Planned Parenthood.