Celebrities have marked what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
The world experienced a shift after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutionally protected abortion rights, leading to the pullback of women’s reproductive rights across multiple states.
In fact, Florida tightened its gestational limit from 24 weeks to 15 weeks with specific exceptions. However, despite these changes, abortion-rights activists such as Lizzo, Hillary Clinton, and the Obamas have spoken up about body autonomy.
President Joe Biden: ‘Congress Must Restore The Protections Of Roe v. Wade In Federal Law’
Even though abortion rights advocates have marched every year on January 22 — known as Roe v. Wade Day — since 1973, the scene was different on Sunday. In addition to rallying for abortion rights protections, protesters were mourning the Supreme Court’s ruling and the ultimate loss of women’s fundamental right to reproduction.
The atmosphere was the same in the White House as President Joe Biden released a statement expressing his concern about the decision. After acknowledging “that last year, the Supreme Court took away a constitutional right from the American people,” Biden noted that:
“Women should be able to make these deeply personal decisions free from political interference. Yet, Republicans in Congress and across the country continue to push for a national abortion ban, to criminalize doctors and nurses, and to make contraception harder to access. It’s dangerous, extreme, and out of touch.”
He concluded his address by promising to “continue to fight to protect a woman’s right to choose,” declaring that Congress had to “restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law.” For him, it was the only way “a woman’s right to choose in every state” could be cemented.
Clinton added her voice to the fight through an Instagram post that featured a screenshot of her tweet, which read, “Today should have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. We know MAGA Republicans won’t stop until abortion is banned nationwide. So we can’t stop fighting for reproductive freedom everywhere.”
Meanwhile, Lizzo posted a campaign for Yitty — her shape-wear brand — to Twitter, reiterating where she and her brand stood regarding body autonomy. “MY BODY IS NOBODYS BUSINESS. On what would’ve been the 50th anniversary of roe v. wade we share our stories — reproductive care is health care,” the “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)” singer wrote above three campaign posters of herself.
The images touched on Yitty’s plan to “liberate bodies by raising our voices” because it believed that “only YOU should have a say in what you do and how you feel about your body.”
A closer look at the tweet revealed that the body positivity queen also featured five reproductive rights advocates emphasizing how women making autonomous decisions about their bodies and health is crucial for themselves and everyone else.
They included Macy —a digital content creator, Amelia — the director and co-founder of Shout Your Abortion; Kenyatta — a reproductive justice advocate; Chloe — a mom; and Ash — a trans and reproductive justice organizer.
Back on Instagram, Barack Obama asked his 35.7 million followers to “join the activists who’ve been sounding the alarm on this issue for years-and act,” while his wife, Michelle Obama, highlighted the nonprofit organizations working tirelessly to create “the more fair, more just America that we all believe in.”
Lizzo Shows Support For Abortion Rights By Donating To Planned Parenthood
The Blast reported last June that Lizzo was dedicated to helping people in need following the Supreme Court’s decision. Shortly after the announcement that Roe v. Wade had been overturned, the 34-year-old announced that she was donating a whopping $1 million to support Planned Parenthood.
The artist, who was working with Live Nation to achieve the goal, disclosed that $500,000 would be raised through the tour for her “Special” album, while Live Nation would handle the rest.
In her initial update, Lizzo shared that the money would be donated to Planned Parenthood. However, during a conversation with a fan in a comment section, she added Abortion Funds.
“I’m pledging $500,000 from my upcoming tour to Planned Parenthood and Abortion Rights. Live Nation agreed to match to make it $1,000,000. The most important thing is action and loud voices organizations like them will need funding to continue offering services to people who are most harmed by this ban,” she wrote to her fans at the time.
The tour ran from September 23 to November 18 last year.