Barrett had written explicitly about potential conflicts faced by Catholic judges when Church teachings about topics like the death penalty and abortion might conflict with their responsibility to uphold the law. She noted that church prohibitions on abortion and euthanasia are “absolute,” while “those against war and capital punishment are not.” In her writing, she had asserted that judges who are “heedful of ecclesiastical pronouncements” might not be able to dispense impartial justice, and therefore might need to recuse themselves. Yet under questioning she said that she could not envision any case coming before her that would require her recusal.