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Opinion: Loyalty to Alaska citizens not to the Republican Party, please

Published 10:30 pm Wednesday, September 23, 2020

By Nanci Spear

People gather for a candlelight vigil for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg near Dimond Courthouse on Saturday, Sept. 19. People shared remarks about some of Ginsburg’s most famous decisions during the event. Some expressed hopes her seat would not be filled until after Election Day. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
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People gather for a candlelight vigil for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg near Dimond Courthouse on Saturday, Sept. 19. People shared remarks about some of Ginsburg’s most famous decisions during the event. Some expressed hopes her seat would not be filled until after Election Day. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

People gather for a candlelight vigil for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg near Dimond Courthouse on Saturday, Sept. 19. People shared remarks about some of Ginsburg’s most famous decisions during the event. Some expressed hopes her seat would not be filled until after Election Day. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
People gather for a candlelight vigil for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg near Dimond Courthouse on Saturday, Sept. 19. People shared remarks about some of Ginsburg’s most famous decisions during the event. Some expressed hopes her seat would not be filled until after Election Day. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

We need both Alaskan Senators to not be obedient to the senator from Kentucky and to restore some faith in government. Loyalty to Alaska citizens not to the Republican Party please.

To choose the right woman to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court is a good first step. That woman will be there because of RBG. RBG chose a path to lead the fight against gender discrimination and successfully argued six cases before the Supreme Court. These cases resulted in widowers being able to receive Social Security benefits and women being represented on juries. She founded the American Civil Liberties Union’s Women’s Rights Project. Those were her qualifications for her appointment.

Women may attend elite military academies because of RBG’s work. They take active roles serving on front lines and as pilots and officers. RBG argued for equal rights for everyone to decide whom to marry and share benefits and be allowed in hospital rooms as family. She argued for integration of disabled persons to live in society. Equal pay for equal work became law through her work but clearly has further to go. Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought for voters rights. She fought for women’s health care to be equal to men’s. We don’t just need a woman on the Supreme Court, we need a woman who has proven herself to fight for equal rights and representation.

This is not a rush decision to be made in a month before election.

• Nanci Spear is a retired mathematics specialist for the state of Alaska

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