‘It’s certainly possible’: Trump admits Amy Coney Barrett could help reverse landmark right to choose abortion laws

Donald Trump said it is "certainly possible" that his nomination to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg on the US Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, could rule in favor of overturning Roe v Wade.  

The president made the comment during an appearance on Fox and Friends Weekend.  

“She is certainly conservative in her views, in her rulings, and we’ll have to see how that all works out, but I think it will work out,” Mr Trump said.  

Mr Trump said there was no way of knowing what would happen if a challenge to the US ruling that allows legal abortions was heard before the Supreme Court following Ms Barrett's presumed confirmation.  

He suggested a Supreme Court ruling might allow individual states to determine if they will allow or prohibit abortions.  

“It’s certainly possible. And maybe they do it in a different way. Maybe they’d give it back to the states. You just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Ms Barrett's strict Catholicism and staunch conservative ideology have left Democrats and progressives afraid that her inclusion on the Supreme Court will ensure that - in addition to overturning Roe v Wade - laws like the Affordable Care Act and DACA will be overturned.  

There are already 17 cases in the court systems dealing with the legality of access to abortion services. If any of them were to be appealed to the Supreme Court in a way that challenges Roe v Wade, access to abortion could see a significant change in the US. 

In addition to abortion challenges, there is also a challenge against the Affordable Care Act that is expected to be heard by the courts in early November.  

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden pushed back against Mr Trump for trying to fast-track a Supreme Court nominee for the purposes of dismantling the work done by the Barack Obama administration.  

“Women could once again be charged higher premiums just because they are women; pregnancy could become a pre-existing condition again; seniors will see their prescription drug prices go up and the funding for Medicare go down," Mr Biden said.  

He said that Mr Trump's "mission" has been to dismantle the Obama-era healthcare policy.  

“It doesn’t matter what the American people want, President Trump sees the chance to fulfill his explicit mission, steal away the vital protections of the ACA from countless families who’ve come to rely on it for their health, their financial security and the lives of those they love," Mr Biden said in a statement.  

Mr Trump said defeating Obamacare would be "a big WIN" and claims it will be replaced with something better, though he has never given any explanation as to what that better system would entail.

"Obamacare will be replaced with a MUCH better, and FAR cheaper alternative if it is terminated in the Supreme Court. Would be a big WIN for the USA!" he wrote on Twitter.  

Mr Biden's assessment that undermining the Affordable Care Act and abortion access ignore the desires of the American public are not off-base.  

A Pew Research study found that 6 in 10 Americans are in favour of abortion being legal in all or most cases.