Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett evades question on abortion ruling Roe v. Wade

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Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is declining to say whether she thinks Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established the right to abortion, should be struck down.

Barrett sidestepped questions about that landmark case from the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, as the panel held a second day of hearings on Barrett's nomination.

Barrett says she won't answer questions about whether she would rule that Roe v. Wade should be overturned because she would not join the court with "some agenda" on the subject.

She says her only agenda is to "stick to the rule of law and decide cases as they come."

Feinstein told Barrett that it was "distressing to not get a straight answer" to her question.

The conservative Barrett was nominated by President Donald Trump last month to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

One of Democrats' biggest fears is that Barrett's all but certain confirmation by the Republican controlled Senate would create a 6-3 conservative majority on the court that could well overturn Roe v. Wade.