Prominent women around the world took to social media this week, expressing outrage after a leaked Supreme Court majority opinion draft laid out in no uncertain terms that the landmark case that protects women’s right to abortion, Roe v. Wade, would be overturned.
Actress Busy Philipps and comedian Amy Schumer encouraged their Instagram followers to take to the streets to protest. Actress Jameela Jamil said she was “disgusted” by the news and posted a quote from late Supreme Court Justice and ardent feminist Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Instagram.
Ever Carradine, an actress on the dystopian hit Hulu show “The Handmaid’s Tale,” likened the draft to the repressed conditions women live under in the show’s fictional nation, Gilead.
This is some Gilead bullshit. #RoeVWade https://t.co/TNDOEGzByb
— Ever Carradine (@EverCarradine) May 3, 2022
Dozens of other celebrities, including Whoopi Goldberg, Olivia Munn, Mia Farrow, Bette Midler, Alyssa Milano, Elizabeth Banks, Rosanna Arquette, Roxane Gay, Jodi Picoult, Lena Dunham and Tracee Ellis Ross, added their voices to the growing chorus of outrage.
The swift responses spanned generations. Cher railed against the draft on Twitter.
REPUBLICANS MAY HAVE
— Cher (@cher) May 3, 2022
FINALLY GOTTEN THEIR WISH.AFTER 49 YRS
GOP SUPREME COURT
POISED 2 STRIKE DOWN
ROE V WADE.
MY MOM SAID,”WHEN I WAS YOUNG,I HEARD, “KEEP EM BAREFOOT & PREGNANT,”A WOMANS PLACE IS IN THE HOME”,
“WOMEN DONT HAVE
🧠’S 4 BUSINESS”.
“DEATH DUE 2
BACK ALLY ABORTION”
Singer Halsey, 48 years younger than her iconic counterpart, turned to Instagram, encouraging their followers to take action through protests and fundraising.
Women also shared their own abortion stories on Twitter, including popular indie singer Phoebe Bridgers, who revealed that she got an abortion just last year. She credited Planned Parenthood with making reproductive services easily accessible.
I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour. I went to planned parenthood where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access.
— traitor joe (@phoebe_bridgers) May 3, 2022
Here’s a big list of places you can donate to right now. https://t.co/jT0sk6CeNX
Silicon Valley remained relatively quiet on the subject, with the notable exceptions of Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Meta Platforms, and Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, who encouraged other businesses to take a stand.
Among the few lone voices in the corporate world to respond to the news, it’s a stark contrast from the outcry from business leaders in the wake of the Texas abortion ban last year.
So employers, what are you going to do to make sure your employees get the abortion care they need? I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: abortion is your business’s business. Don’t look away. DO SOMETHING. Here are a few places to start. https://t.co/9zHySePJhq
— reshmasaujani (@reshmasaujani) May 3, 2022
