I will never forget the day my daughter Abigail met Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was still a college student and came with me to an event in Washington, D.C. We had a great time. Afterwards, Abigail, clearly taken aback, told me she was going to post it on Facebook. [Mom, don't worry about it. It's about Judge Ginsburg."

Few leaders in our country have garnered such rock-star-level adulation; even fewer have risen to the status of bona fide cultural icon at the age of 80. And virtually none has a cool nickname: RBG.

Small in stature but mighty in intellect, Justice Ginsburg was very important to many, including me. As a young lawyer, I was in awe of her confirmation hearings presided over by then-Senator Joe Biden. It made me feel that anything was possible for women in this country.

In 1971, Justice Ginsburg, as an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, became the lead author of the brief in the landmark gender equality case, Reed v. Reed. This precedent-setting decision had major implications for women. It paved the way for the prohibition of all forms of sex discrimination against Americans. Today, women can enroll in military academies, demand equal pay, and get credit cards without men's permission, thanks to this ruling.

Of course, Justice Ginsburg's accomplishments do not stop there. As the second female Supreme Court justice in history, she tipped the scales of justice by championing women's reproductive rights, legalizing same-sex marriage, and upholding the Affordable Care Act. For 27 years, Chief Justice Ginsburg worked to expand women's opportunities in all aspects of American life, including the workplace, health care, and education.

After her death last Friday (opens in new tab), Americans everywhere mourned the loss of such a brilliant jurist (opens in new tab). But of course, women in particular felt this loss personally. And rightfully so. In Justice Ginsburg, we had a true champion of gender equality.

President Trump's mismanagement of the pandemic had a devastating effect on the entire country. Yet women, especially women of color, have endured a disproportionate amount of hardship. Women make up the majority of essential workers and are the workers in the sectors hardest hit by the COVID-19 closure. This means that with each additional day the pandemic drags on, women put their health and safety at risk and their future economic prospects narrow. Already, faced with near double-digit unemployment and fewer affordable childcare options, women are leaving the workforce in greater numbers than men.

Today, all the progress we have built for women is at stake. And what happens next could change all that.

Depending on who replaces Justice Ginsburg, not only could Roe v. Wade be overturned, but equal pay, paid leave, and voting rights could also be rolled back. Also, President Trump is at this very moment trying to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the entire Affordable Care Act, and the next judge could eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions such as breast cancer, asthma, and diabetes. We may wake up to an America that bears a striking resemblance to the America that Justice Ginsburg tried so hard to change in 1971.

Justice Ginsburg complained on her deathbed (opens in new tab): "My most ardent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president takes office." However, just hours after learning of her death, House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the Senate would vote on President Trump's nominee.

In 2016, as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I listened to my Republican colleagues refuse to consider President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee in an election year. At that time, Majority Leader McConnell made it clear that "the American people should have a say in the selection of the next Supreme Court justice."

Today, voting has already begun. In dozens of states, voters are mailing in their ballots or voting in person on the day of the election. It's simple: the people choose the next president, and that president appoints the judges.

Like Vice President Biden, I encourage my colleagues across the aisle to "follow their conscience." Republican Senators do not follow Mitch McConnell (open in new tab); they follow the people they represent. I believe that each and every Senator needs to decide what to do based on his or her own integrity and the future of our country.

Ultimately, however, that future will not be determined by a handful of Republicans. It will be decided by the women of America. Women have the power to change minds in Congress, and women have the power to decide this election. So now is the time to take action. Register to vote and plan to vote. Volunteer to be a poll worker to protect the integrity of the election. And join Women for Biden to elect a president who will fight for women's rights.

Justice Ginsburg fought for us for over 60 years. Now it is up to us to continue the fight.

Senator Amy Klobuchar is the senior senator representing Minnesota; she was first elected to the Senate in 2006 and is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee as well as the Joint Committee on the Economy, Senate Commerce Committee, and Senate Rules Committee.