Commonwealth Policy Center

Opponents of Pres. Trump’s Supreme Court nominee have imposed a new litmus test on abortion and religious beliefs. Some media outlets are singling out Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s faith, particularly her involvement in a charismatic Catholic group called People of Praise, claiming that groups like it somehow inspired the Handmaid’s Tale—the dystopian novel where women are subjected to breeding status at the hands of powerful men. Margaret Atwood, the author of the novel, denies any such connection. Amy Coney Barrett may have a large family—she’s a devoted wife and mother of seven, but by no means is she anyone’s handmaid. If anything, the devout Catholic, legal scholar, and judge demonstrates that the Christian faith is uplifting and the political left has not cornered the market on equality for women in the workplace.