Amy Coney Barrett Confirmation Draws ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Protesters

Jordan Moreau
Updated ·2 min read
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A group of protesters dressed in the red nun habits from “The Handmaid’s Tale” have flocked to the Supreme Court ahead of Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing.

On Sunday, nearly a dozen protesters took to Capitol Hill as a demonstration against the Senate’s hearing to fill the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court with Barrett. The confirmation begins on Monday.

As a judge and a legal scholar, Barrett has a history as a social conservative with her voting records on issues like abortion, health care, gun rights and immigration. Many Democrats are worried that her confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice would make the bench more conservative and put abortion rights established in Roe v. Wade at risk.

In Hulu’s adaptation of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” women are stripped of their rights and used as a means of reproduction in a tragic dystopian America. The totalitarian society forces fertile women, known as handmaids, to wear red habits to mark their role as child bearers in the world.

The “Handmaid’s Tale” outfit has been used as a symbol of protest for other occasions around the world. After Ginsburg’s death last month, protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court after President Donald Trump picked Barrett as his choice for the new Justice. People have also worn the red habits at protests about women’s rights in Poland and the Netherlands and judiciary hearings about abortion bills in Kentucky and Missouri this year.

The TV series has been one of the most popular shows on Hulu, winning 15 Emmys, including best drama series, out of 54 nominations. A fourth season is set to premiere in 2021.

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