Hollywood Reacts to Roe v. Wade Overturn: ‘Everybody Gets a Gun but Nobody Gets Bodily Autonomy’

Updated, June 24 at 12 p.m. ET: The Supreme Court ruled to overturn the 1973 landmark decision Roe v. Wade on June 24.

CNN reported that the opinion is the “most consequential Supreme Court decision in decades and will transform the landscape of women’s reproductive health in America.” Abortion right will be determined by states going forward, with 21 states already having laws or constitutional amendments in place to ban the right to terminate a pregnancy. An additional four states are expected to ban abortions as soon as possible without federal protections in place.

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“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion, as previously leaked last month. “Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”

A joint dissenting opinion included Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan heavily criticized the majority, writing, “With sorrow, for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection, we dissent.”

Chief Justice John Roberts did not join the majority, adding in a concurring opinion that he would not have overturned Roe v. Wade but instead upheld Mississippi’s law banning abortions after 15 weeks or the first trimester.

Michelle Obama wrote in a letter “I am heartbroken today. This is what our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers lived through, and now here we are again. This horrifying decision will have devastating consequences, and it must be a wake up call, especially to the young people who will bear its burden.”

Hollywood also took to Twitter to voice their shock in the Roe v. Wade overturn.

Taylor Swift retweeted the former First Lady’s letter, adding, “I’m absolutely terrified that this is where we are – that after so many decades of people fighting for women’s rights to their own bodies, today’s decision has stripped us of that.”

Neon founder Tom Quinn also reposted the production company’s pro-choice campaign. Padma Lakshmi tweeted, “People will still get abortions. These procedures won’t stop just because Roe v. Wade is overturned. This will only prevent safe, legal abortions from taking place…This is a catalyst for a public health crisis…I wish more people understood that the decision to have an abortion is deeply personal and complex. It’s a decision that should be treated with compassion and empathy, not vilified or criminalized.”

Oscar winner Rita Moreno recalled former partner Marlon Brando hiring a doctor to perform an abortion after she became pregnant with his child. Moreno underwent a botched abortion, and spoke out against the Roe v. Wade overturn forcing women back to the dangerous underground abortion rings. “I can see that thing happening now and going back to back alleys,” Moreno told Variety. “I’m really nervous and frightened and horrified that this is taking place. I can’t believe that some of those people are telling us what to do with our bodies.”

Moreno added, “Hilary Clinton warned everybody about this. I’m not shocked because I saw it coming but I’m stunned.  I think about the young girls. Taking it to the most extreme, girls who get pregnant because of rape or incest. Unfair isn’t a strong enough word, but it’s unfair.”

Alyssa Milano took to social media and posted, “Today’s Supreme Court ruling overturning #RoeVsWade will have deadly consequences, with the harm falling hardest on people of color who already face disproportionate discrimination in our country and grapple with a severe maternal mortality crisis.”

“Nope” star Keke Palmer captioned, “I’m past disgusted w/ my country and their constant inability to protect one another’s right & keep their word. How u overturning the wrong things? So many things to overturn that make sense. But this is what you chose??”

Patricia Arquette posted, “This Supreme Court is an absolute disaster. From giving people the right to carry guns to taking away Womens rights of autonomy over their own bodies. We weren’t being reactive we saw it coming.”

Viola Davis wrote that she was “gutted” over the news.

Busy Philipps captioned on Instagram, “I have no words. This is total devastation. See you tonight New York and I hope you show the fuck up wherever you live.”

Amy Schumer, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, Aaron Sorkin, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, and more previously signed an open letter in support of the Geraldine Santoro Act which would create legal abortion access in New York state.

See more reactions below.

Original, May 3: A leaked draft opinion was circulated among Supreme Court justices on May 2 indicating that the highest court will overturn 1973’s Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal on a federal level.

Politico posted the draft penned by Justice Alito that argued Roe was “egregiously wrong from the start.” The memo continued, “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

President Biden responded to the draft opinion, issuing a formal written address demanding that the “basic fairness” of Roe v. Wade be upheld.

“At the federal level, we will need more pro-choice Senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation that codifies Roe, which I will work to pass and sign into law,” Biden said in the statement. To note, it is yet unclear if the draft published by Politico is valid, as The Washington Post reported.

Actress and pro-choice activist Busy Philipps drew comparisons between the 2022 Met Gala theme of Glided Glamour and the staggering shift in women’s reproductive rights.

“The Gilded Age,” Philipps captioned a screenshot of the report on Instagram. “#Bansoffourbodies #metgala #abortionishealthcare #abortionrights #fuckthesupreme.”

Philipps later circulated the planned nationwide protest on May 3, writing, “Show up. Be loud. The person who risked everything to leak that document did so with the knowledge that IT IS NOT YET DONE. It’s a sham of a court put in place to do this exact thing and why? Because they’re afraid of what TRUE EQUALITY means for their own power.”

Philipps added, “This has been in motion for most of my life, this slow crank back in time but I will be damned if I allow it to happen without a fight. Overturning Roe and Casey is against the WILL OF THE PEOPLE. It has NOTHING to do with BABIES and EVERYTHING to do with white supremacy and power hungry politicians attempting to keep systems of oppression in place. (And I don’t have time or energy to explain to you why if you don’t understand- DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH) Be angry. Be loud. Be outraged. But most of all SHOW THE FUCK UP.”

Comedian Amy Schumer similarly encouraged followers to “take to the streets” with protests on Tuesday, May 3 at 5 p.m. local time. “Give us our dignity or we will take it,” the Oscar host captioned on Instagram. “This is why we fight. See you out there ladies.”

Yvette Nicole Brown tweeted, “If you are upset that #RoeVWade is about to be overturned by the Supreme Court but you didn’t vote in 2016 or you voted for Trump because you didn’t like the smart lady, YOU did this w/your apathy or your decision to choose an imp for President. YOU gave him THREE SCOTUS seats.”

The “Community” alum continued, “Votes matter. Voting in EVERY election matters. The people we elect — or those who are elected when people can’t be bothered to — make decisions every day that affect our lives & livelihoods. This decision affects the HEALTHCARE of millions of women. Great job! #sarcasm.”

See below for more reactions.

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