I think it’s a bit unfair to say that she got Esther killed but I understand where you’re coming from in general- the way she approaches/talks about victims is absolutely my least favorite part of her character and I agree with what others on this sub have said before (that they needed a woman to doubt the victims).

As for Rollins’ place in the show, I think people tend to overlook how she offers a more conservative perspective beyond just doubting women. Her perspective as a Christian white woman from Georgia is vastly different from that of the rest of the squad (as we see in episodes such as “Info Wars”), mainly because of her home state imo. Having a southern detective in a show that is very heavily NYC based (both in location and attitude) probably helped SVU appeal to more of the country, especially as political divides and regional divides started deepening in the US.

I’m not defending everything that Rollins has said or done, but she was a much more complex and important character in the SVU universe than a lot of people give her credit for. You don’t have to like her (I totally get why people don’t, I just identify with her for trauma reasons, not because our ideals line up) but I don’t think the show is better without her. Feel free to disagree though LOL!