In the wake of America's reddest states passing unconstitutional abortion bans in a naked attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade, several outraged citizens are speaking out. On Twitter, women shared why they got an abortion, creating the trending hashtag #YouKnowMe. And several Hollywood figures, including Kristen Wiig and Jason Bateman, pledged not to film projects in Georgia, so long as their draconian anti-abortion law is in place.
On Instagram, The Princess Diaries star Anne Hathaway shared a powerful post slamming the 'complicity of white women' in helping pass abortion bans. 25 white Republican men passed HB 314, the remarkably cruel Alabama bill that criminalizes abortions even in cases of rape and incest. However, the bill was sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins (R) and signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey (R), who are both women.
Hathaway shared a series of images supporting abortion rights with her 14 million followers. The messages included: "If you're against an abortion, don't have one." "Men shouldn't be making laws about women’s bodies." And "anti-choice people are not trying to stop abortion. They are trying to legislate who can and cannot have abortions... All criminalizing abortion will do is keep people trapped in poverty for generations."
In the caption, the Les Misérables star wrote: "Yes the anti-abortion movement is primarily about controlling women’s bodies under the premise (for many, sincere) of saving lives," and yes this law is primarily the work of white men HOWEVER a white woman sponsored the bill and a white woman signed it into law."
She continued: "As we’re resisting, let us also call out the complicity of the white women who made this awful moment possible, and which–make no mistake–WILL lead to the unnecessary and avoidable deaths of women, a disproportionate number of whom will be poor and/or black."
Watch Busy Philipps speak out against Georgia's controversial anti-abortion lawHathaway concluded her post by encouraging her followers to donate to charitable organizations that will help women in need. "Speak up. Show up. Don’t give up. Donate to @yellowfund, @plannedparenthood, @arc_southeast, @abortionfunds, @whoohio, @napawf, @gwafund, and the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund."
Meanwhile, thousands of women across the United States are marching to protest the abortion bans. In 1973, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution's "right to privacy" protects women's right to have abortions. As a result, states may not place an "undue burden" on women who make that choice. Reproductive rights have been settled law for 46 years, and supporters won't let it be challenged without a fight. In fact, one Alabama doctor has already pledged to continue performing abortions, even after the law takes affect.