Bette Midler has had perhaps one of the most eyebrow-raising responses to the United States' abortion law restrictions.
Ever since last Friday's SCOTUS overturning of Roe v. Wade, many celebrities have utilized social media or news publications to voice their thoughts on the matter.
Now, Bette Midler has shared a tweet calling for the US to ban viagra.
Taking to Twitter, the Hocus Pocus star shared a graphic with her 2.1 million followers that read: "Time to ban viagra. Beacuase if pregnanyc is 'God's will', then so is your limp d**k."
The tweet - an apparent dig at the conservative religious view that pregnancy is an act of God and, therefore, abortions should be outlawed - has amassed over 37,000 retweets and more than 240,000 likes, as of this writing.
The inflammatory tweet also received an outpouring of responses, such as this Twitter user, who wrote: "Men do not have to worry about, and abide by, the consequences of a 'quickie' or having sex. Only women are forced to carry that burden for a lifetime or they face having committed a crime.
"The real crime is that men and women are not equal in their rights."
Another Twitter user's suggestion also reversed the responsibility of unwanted pregnancies toward men, writing: "Time for mandatory vasectomy at puberty. Once married and financially secure, babies college fund secure, it can be reversed."
A third agreed, writing: "If it’s so important and so righteous to regulate women’s bodies, let’s start regulating men’s bodies too. Mandatory vasectomies!"
Midler, 76, has been an outspoken critic of the reversal of Roe v. Wade ever since the Supreme Court voted to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling in a 5-4 decision.
Axios reports that a new CBS News/YouGov reaction poll shows that 59% of Americans disapprove of the ruling, with 52% of those polled calling it a "step backward" for the United States.
Following the Supreme Court's decision on Friday, Midler tweeted: "They did it. THEY DID IT TO US! #SCOTUS has overturned #RoevWade, enshrined in the Constitution as settled law for over 50 years. How dare they? This #SCOTUS is absolutely tone-deaf to the will and even the actual needs of the American people."
In another tweet, a furious Midler wrote: Some b***h on TV saying, 'have your baby and then give it up for adoption; adoption is a beautiful and noble thing to do.' She’s delusional. Many babies are never adopted but are shunted from foster home to foster home where they are abused & used as slaves until they age out."
As a number of US states prepare to invoke laws either banning or further restricting pregnancy terminations, CNN reports that abortion rights proponents have filed court actions in at least seven states in an attempt to block or decelerate the enforcement of abortion bans.
These states include Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Texas.
Bette Midler has suggested that women refuse to have sex with men in the wake on Texas' controversial new abortion law.
Last week, Texas passed a law that banned abortion providers from carrying out terminations after the fetus' heartbeat had been detected - this is usually around the six-week mark. The law cites no exception for pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest, CNN reports.
Additionally, the law can be "policed" by citizens, who can sue abortion providers for $10,000 in successful cases.
The only exception to the law - also known as Senate Bill 8 - is if a "physician believes that a medical emergency exists".
The new law has faced backlash for several reasons, one of which being that many women are unaware that they are pregnant at the six-week mark.
Now, American singer and actress Bette Midler has taken to social media to slam the new law. In one tweet, the 75-year-old writes:
"I suggest that all women refuse to have sex with men until they are guaranteed the right to choose by Congress."
In another tweet, Midler writes: "Why do #antivaxxers and #antimaskers get to live the "my body, my choice" life, but pregnant women are not allowed to? How is this fair?"
She adds: "The cruelty of the #GOP is endless. We are suffering COVID-19, hurricanes, apocalyptic flooding, wildfires from hell, joblessness, homelessness, evictions, racial strife, and they pick this hideous time to pile on yet another shock to women, by taking away their right to choose."
Continuing to speak out against the law on Friday, Midler wrote: "This isn’t about guns, speech, money or war. It’s about women, their lives, their bodies and their autonomy."
President Biden has also spoken out against the new law, calling the Supreme Court's failure to not block the law an "unprecedented assault" on women's rights, per BBC News.
Credit: ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy
"The highest court of our land will allow millions in Texas in need of critical reproductive care to suffer while courts sift through procedural complexities," Biden added.
The POTUS has now launched a "whole-of-government" response to combat the new law, which Biden says "unleashes unconstitutional chaos and empowers self-anointed enforcers to have devastating impacts."
Per CNN, Vice President Mike Pence has been making strong pitches to swing-state anti-abortion voters of late, as the Presidential campaign enters its final two months. These voters could prove crucial in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where polling indicates a tight race between the two candidates.
A Mormon mom-of-six wrote a Twitter thread back in 2018 that has recently resurfaced due its powerful statements on abortion and women's rights.
Author and art director Gabrielle Blair posted the series of tweets, which shine a light on what Blair describes as "men [grandstanding] about women's reproductive rights".
Blair wrote:
"I’m a mother of six, and a Mormon. I have a good understanding of arguments surrounding abortion, religious and otherwise. I've been listening to men grandstand about women's reproductive rights, and I'm convinced men actually have zero interest in stopping abortion. Here's why…"
"If you want to stop abortion, you need to prevent unwanted pregnancies. And men are 100% responsible for unwanted pregnancies. No for real, they are. Perhaps you are thinking: IT TAKES TWO! And yes, it does take two for _intentional_ pregnancies."
"But ALL unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. Period. Don’t believe me? Let me walk you through it. Let’s start with this: women can only get pregnant about 2 days each month. And that’s for a limited number of years."
"That makes 24 days a year a women might get pregnant. But men can _cause_ pregnancy 365 days a year. In fact, if you’re a man who ejaculates multiple times a day, you could cause multiple pregnancies daily. In theory a man could cause 1000+ unwanted pregnancies in just one year."
"And though their sperm gets crappier as they age, men can cause unwanted pregnancies from puberty till death. So just starting with basic biology + the calendar it’s easy to see men are the issue here."
And the series of tweets received widespread praise at the time. One commenter wrote, "Arguably the greatest thread I’ve seen on any subject. That good. Required reading."
Another Twitter user added, "This is by far the best series of tweets I have read on Twitter. It steers clear of any insecurities that it may harbour, doesn't get polemic, doesn't pontificate or indulge in pedantic. You are absolutely right 100%"
A mom-of-six is once again going viral on Twitter after sharing what some are calling "the greatest Twitter thread" of all time.
It comes in the wake of Friday's SCOTUS ruling to overturn the historic Roe v. Wade decision, which now means that there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion.
As reported by CNN, Justices voted 5-4 in favor of the ruling - a ruling that will have huge consequences on women's reproductive health across the country and a ruling that President Joe Biden says "is literally taking America back 150 years."
In the aftermath of the ruling, many pro-choice arguments are being shared on social media, with one mom-of-six's lengthy Twitter thread once again getting attention.
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Written back in 2018, author and art director Gabrielle Blair posted the series of tweets to shine a light on what the mother describes as "men [grandstanding] about women's reproductive rights".
She writes: "I’m a mother of six, and a Mormon. I have a good understanding of arguments surrounding abortion, religious and otherwise. I've been listening to men grandstand about women's reproductive rights, and I'm convinced men actually have zero interest in stopping abortion. Here's why...
"If you want to stop abortion, you need to prevent unwanted pregnancies. And men are 100% responsible for unwanted pregnancies. No for real, they are. Perhaps you are thinking: IT TAKES TWO! And yes, it does take two for _intentional_ pregnancies."
"But ALL unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. Period," she argues.
Blair continued: "Though their sperm gets crappier as they age, men can cause unwanted pregnancies from puberty till death. So just starting with basic biology + the calendar it’s easy to see men are the issue here.
"But what about birth control? If a woman doesn’t want to risk an unwanted pregnancy, why wouldn’t she just use birth control? If a women can manage to figure out how to get an abortion, surely she can get birth control, right? Great questions."
Speaking about female birth control, Blair writes: "Modern birth control is possibly the greatest invention of the last century, and I am very grateful for it. It’s also brutal. The side effects for many women are ridiculously harmful. So ridiculous, that when an oral contraception for men was created, it wasn’t approved...
"...because of the side effects. And the list of side effects was about 1/3 as long as the known side effects for women's oral contraception.
"There’s a lot to be unpacked just in that story, but I’ll simply point out (in case you didn’t know) that as a society, we really don’t mind if women suffer, physically or mentally, as long as it makes things easier for men."
But good news, Men: Even with the horrible side effects, women are still very willing to use birth control," she continued. "Unfortunately it’s harder to get than it should be. Birth control options for women require a doctor’s appointment and a prescription. It’s not free, and often not cheap."
"In fact there are many people trying to make it more expensive by fighting to make sure insurance companies refuse to cover it. Oral contraceptives for women can’t be acquired easily, or at the last minute. And they don't work instantly.
"If we’re talking about the pill, it requires consistent daily use and doesn’t leave much room for mistakes, forgetfulness, or unexpected disruptions to daily schedules. And again, the side effects can be brutal. I’M STILL GRATEFUL FOR IT PLEASE DON’T TAKE IT AWAY."
Blair then moves on to condoms, and explained: "Condoms are readily available at all hours, inexpensive, convenient, and don’t require a prescription. They’re effective, and work on demand, instantly.
"Men can keep them stocked up just in case, so they’re always prepared. Amazing! They are so much easier than birth control options for women. As a bonus, in general, women love when men use condoms. They keep us from getting STDs, they don’t lessen our pleasure during sex...
"...or prevent us from climaxing. And the best part? Clean up is so much easier — no waddling to the toilet as your j**z drips down our legs. So why in the world are there ever unwanted pregnancies? Why don't men just use condoms every time they have sex? Seems so simple, right?
"Oh. I remember. Men _don’t_ love condoms. In fact, men frequently pressure women to have sex without a condom. And it’s not unheard of for men to remove the condom during sex, without the women’s permission or knowledge. (Pro-tip: That's assault.)"
After theorizing why many men don't want to wear a condom, Blair concludes: "Men regularly choose to put women at massive risk by having non-condom sex, in order to experience a few minutes of slightly more pleasure."
Shifting the thread, Blair then argues: "Let’s talk more about responsibility. Men often don’t know, and don’t ask, and don’t think to ask, if they’ve caused a pregnancy. They may never think of it, or associate sex with making babies at all. Why? Because there are 0 consequences for men who cause unwanted pregnancies.
"If the woman decides to have an abortion, the man may never know he caused an unwanted pregnancy with his irresponsible ejaculation.
"If the woman decides to have the baby, or put the baby up for adoption, the man may never know he caused an unwanted pregnancy with his irresponsible ejaculation, or that there’s now a child walking around with 50% of his DNA."
"If the woman does tell him that he caused an unwanted pregnancy and that she’s having the baby, the closest thing to a consequence for him, is that he may need to pay child support," Blair adds. "But our current child support system is well-known to be a joke."
"If you’re not holding men responsible for unwanted pregnancies, then you are wasting your time," the author states, directing her attention to those who are against abortion.
"Stop protesting at clinics. Stop shaming women. Stop trying to overturn abortion laws. If you actually care about reducing or eliminating the number of abortions in our country, simply HOLD MEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS."
"What would that look like? What if there was a real and immediate consequence for men who cause an unwanted pregnancy? What kind of consequence would make sense? Should it be as harsh, painful, nauseating, scarring, expensive, risky, and life-altering...
"...as forcing a woman to go through a 9-month unwanted pregnancy?"
Comparing castration to the extreme "punishment" of pregnancy, Blair continued: "In my experience, men really like their testicles. If irresponsible ejaculations were putting their balls at risk, they would stop being irresponsible. Does castration seem like a cruel and unusual punishment? Definitely.
"But is it worse than forcing 500,000 women a year to puke daily for months, gain 40 pounds, and then rip their bodies apart in childbirth? Is a handful of castrations worse than women dying during forced pregnancy & childbirth?"
She writes: "If you want to stop abortions, you need to prevent the 'disease' - meaning, unwanted pregnancies. And the only way to do that, is by focusing on men, because: MEN CAUSE 100% OF UNWANTED PREGNANCIES. Or. IRRESPONSIBLE EJACULATIONS BY MEN CAUSE 100% OF UNWANTED PREGNANCIES.
"If you’re a man, what would the consequence need to be for you to never again ejaculate irresponsibly? Would it be money related? Maybe a loss of rights or freedoms? Physical pain?
"Ask yourselves: What would it take for you to value the life of your sexual partner more than your own temporary pleasure or convenience?"
Turning her attention to the US government - or rather, the men in the US government - Blair explained: "Men mostly run our government. Men mostly make the laws. And men could eliminate abortions in 3 months or less without ever touching an abortion law or evening mentioning women.
Blair concludes: "In summary: STOP TRYING TO CONTROL WOMEN'S BODIES AND SEXUALITY. UNWANTED PREGNANCIES ARE CAUSED BY MEN. The end."
The response to the thread was overwhelming - with the tweets amassing thousands of shares and likes. One Twitter user responded: "Arguably the greatest thread I’ve seen on any subject. That good. Required reading."
Another Twitter user added, "This is by far the best series of tweets I have read on Twitter. It steers clear of any insecurities that it may harbor, doesn't get polemic, doesn't pontificate or indulge in pedantic. You are absolutely right 100%"
Yesterday, Blair responded to the Roe v. Wade overturning simply by tweeting: "I’m really angry and I’m really sad. They said they would overturn Roe and they did it and I hate them for it."
Greta Thunberg has shared her thoughts on the new Texas abortion law with a very blunt chart.
The 18-year-old Swedish activist took to social media in the wake of the southern state passing a new law - known as Senate Bill 8 - that bans abortion providers from carrying out terminations after the fetus' heartbeat had been detected.
Per CNN, this is usually around the six-week mark - a time when many women are unaware that they are pregnant.
The law cites no exception for pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest, and it can be "policed" by citizens who are able to sue abortion providers for $10,000 in successful cases.
The only exception to the law is if a "physician believes that a medical emergency exists".
Taking to Twitter on Friday, Thunberg shared the following chart with her five million followers:
Along with the caption "the reasons why women have abortions", the chart reads "personal choice" at 60%, a very to-the-point "F**k off" at 22%, then "Not your concern" at 10%, and finally "Mind your business" at 8%.
The tweet has since amassed over 197,000 'likes' and more than 45,000 retweets, as of this writing.
Credit: ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy
President Biden has also spoken out against the new law, calling the Supreme Court's failure to not block the law an "unprecedented assault" on women's rights, per BBC News.
"The highest court of our land will allow millions in Texas in need of critical reproductive care to suffer while courts sift through procedural complexities," Biden added.
The POTUS has now launched a "whole-of-government" response to combat the new law, which Biden says "unleashes unconstitutional chaos and empowers self-anointed enforcers to have devastating impacts."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also responded to the Supreme Court's response to the bill, saying in a statement:
"The Supreme Court's cowardly, dark-of-night decision to uphold a flagrantly unconstitutional assault on women's rights and health is staggering. That this radically partisan Court chose to do so without a full briefing, oral arguments or providing a full, signed opinion is shameful."
Pelosi added that Senate Bill 8 "unleashes one of the most disturbing, unprecedented and far-reaching assaults on health care providers."
Featured image credit: Entertainment Pictures / Alamy
Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer took to the streets of Washington D.C. over the weekend to march for abortion rights.
The actors joined forces on Saturday as part of a series of Women's Marches protesting abortion restrictions - in particular the new law passed in Texas.
Last month, the southern state passed a law (also known as Senate Bill 8) that banned abortion providers from carrying out terminations after the fetus' heartbeat had been detected - which is often around the six-week mark. The law cites no exception for pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest, CNN reports.
Additionally, the law can be "policed" by citizens, who can sue abortion providers for $10,000 in successful cases.
Schumer, 40, shared a photo of herself next to Lawrence, 31, as the pair held signs in support of women's access to safe abortions.
Referencing her recent hysterectomy, the Trainwreck star captioned the post: "I don’t have a uterus and she is pregnant but we out here @womensmarch @plannedparenthood #rallyforabortionjustice."
In the snap, Schumer can be seen holding a sign that read: "Abortion is essential", while Lawrence's read: "Women can’t be free if they don’t control their bodies".
Lawrence is currently expecting her first child with her husband, Cooke Maroney.
The Daily Mail reports that 660 marches were scheduled to take place over the weekend, with thousands of people gathering in major cities across the country - such as Texas, Pennsylvania, California, Ohio, and Kansas.
The demonstrations were held just days before the Supreme Court begins a new term on Monday (October 4), where the future of abortion rights in the United States will reportedly be discussed.
Many other celebrities and politicians have also been very outspoken against Texas' SB8.
For example, American singer and actress Bette Midler tweeted to her followers: "I suggest that all women refuse to have sex with men until they are guaranteed the right to choose by Congress."
In another tweet, the 75-year-old star wrote: "Why do #antivaxxers and #antimaskers get to live the "my body, my choice" life, but pregnant women are not allowed to? How is this fair?"
Additionally, during her appearance at the Austin City Limits Music Festival over the weekend, teenage singer Billie Eilish told the crowd: "I'm sick and tired of old men."
The 'Bad Guy' singer continued: "When they made that s*** a law, I almost didn’t want to do the show, because I wanted to punish this f***ing place for allowing that to happen here."
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