Billie Eilish decries Texas abortion laws at Austin City Limits show
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The music world reacts to the US Supreme Court voting on abortion rights
Phoebe Bridgers, Garbage, and Questlove are among artists who have spoken out following the private US Supreme Court vote to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which made abortion legal on a federal level.
On Monday, May 2nd, Politico published a leaked draft opinion laid out by Justice Samuel Alito, which opined that Roe v. Wade was “egregiously wrong from the start”, adding that “it is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
The court decision is by no means finalised, however. Draft opinions can be subject to multiple drafts and vote-trading, often up until just a few days before they are officially shared. If the court goes through with the U-turn on the ruling of the landmark Wade case, abortion would no longer be considered a federal right in the USA. Each state would be able to make individual decisions regarding the legal framework for abortion.
Since the leak of Alito’s draft opinion, reactions have flooded in from people across the globe on social media platforms. Many of those speaking out have been prominent figures in the entertainment and music industry.
The Regrettes took to Twitter to share a link to abortion funds in every state while stating, “The fact that we’re here again having to defend our bodies against a majority male vote is frustrating and heartbreaking.”
They added: “You know where we stand. Abortion should be accessible to EVERYONE.”
Phoebe Bridgers addressed fans in posts on her Instagram stories and Twitter page. The singer shared her own experience before asking them to donate. “I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour,” she wrote. “I went to planned parenthood where they gave me the abortion pill.”
Bridgers added: “It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access” before sharing a link to a list of abortion funds to donate towards.
Filmmaker and musician Questlove posted twice on Instagram in reaction to the vote. First, he likened the Supreme Court opinion to the country’s “Handmaids Tale era” before sharing a graphic asking his followers to “channel your rage into action”.
In the caption, he wrote, “Men we of all people need to rally behind this.” He then listed multiple protest rallies that were scheduled to take place in New York City, Washington D.C. and other major cities across the country yesterday (May 3rd) in a stand against the potential overruling of Roe v. Wade.
Indie band Garbage also shared their wisdom with a post on Instagram; the graphic read, “You can’t ban abortion you can only ban safe abortions.” They captioned the post, “my heart breaks.”
See some of the many reactions below.
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