Congratulatory Post for Barrett Touches Off an Online Fury

Girl Scouts take down sentiment after objections
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 29, 2020 6:05 PM CDT
Congratulatory Post for Barrett Touches Off an Online Fury
President Trump and Amy Coney Barrett stand on the Blue Room Balcony at the White House on Monday.   (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

A tweet by the Girl Scouts congratulating new Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett drew such outrage that the youth organization swiftly deleted it—only to draw a new backlash from Barrett's supporters. The original tweet, posted Wednesday evening, said, "Congratulations Amy Coney Barrett on becoming the 5th woman appointed to the Supreme Court since its inception in 1789." The post featured an image of Barrett, who took her seat this week; Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor; former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor; and Barrett's predecessor, the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The post was quickly attacked by critics who view Barrett, who's conservative, as a threat to civil liberties and women's rights, the AP reports. "What kind of patch does one earn for uplifting a woman who is the antithesis of justice?" tweeted US Rep. Ayanna Pressley. Actress Amber Tamblyn tweeted that the Girl Scouts' post "won’t age well when access to safe abortion and the healthcare needs of millions of women and girls is gutted."

As the online criticism mounted, the Girl Scouts deleted their original tweet and posted a new statement. "Earlier today, we shared a post highlighting the five women who have been appointed to the Supreme Court. It was quickly viewed as a political and partisan statement which was not our intent and we have removed the post." The retreat was quickly assailed by many of Barrett's conservative supporters. “Of course the @girlscouts caved to the mob and deleted this tweet congratulating Amy Coney Barrett. SAD,” tweeted the Independent Women's Forum. "This is pathetic,” TV personality Megyn Kelly tweeted. “It’s not ‘partisan’ to generically congratulate the 5th woman ever to join the High Court. It’s patriotic." She added that removing the post is a partisan move. The Girls Scouts' statement said it's a "nonpolitical, nonpartisan organization," adding, "We are here to lift up girls and women."

(More Girl Scouts stories.)

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