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The US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn constitutional rights to abortion has been condemned by millions of people across the country and the world, including celebrities who have used their platform to speak out against the landmark ruling.
Last week, the majority-conservative court ruled in favour of a Mississippi law that outlaws abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy and overturned key precedents established in the 1973 Roe v Wade case.
The decision was met with uproar, with protesters gathering in large numbers outside the Supreme Court in Washington DC hours after the court delivered the ruling.
Meanwhile, famous faces from Taraji P. Henson to Olivia Rodrigo have also slammed the decision, on stage while performing or hosting award ceremonies, or via social media.
Here are all the celebrities who have condemned the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v Wade since the ruling was handed down last Friday.
Taraji P. Henson
While hosting the BET Award 2022 at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, Empire star Taraji P. Henson used her opening monologue to speak out against the ruling.
The 51-year-old actor said: “It’s about time we step into our power. It’s about time we talk about the fact that guns have more rights than a woman.
“It’s a sad day in America. A weapon that can take lives has more power than a woman who can give life if she chooses to. It’s about time I got that off my chest.”
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe also made her thoughts about the decision known during the BET Awards 2022.
While presenting an award, she said: “F*** the Supreme Court.”
Her strong words were received with resounding applause from the audience members.
Jazmine Sullivan
Singer-songwriter Jazmine Sullivan accepted the award for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist at the BET Awards 2022 and used her speech to urge men to speak up about the decision.
She said: “To the men, if you’ve ever benefited from a woman making one of the toughest decisions of her life, which is to terminate a pregnancy, you need to be standing with us.
“This is not just a woman’s issue. This is everybody’s issue, and we need your support more than ever. You all got us? ‘Cause we got you.”
Olivia Rodrigo
While performing at Glastonbury on Saturday night, Olivia Rodrigo brought out special guest Lily Allen to sing “F*** You” in response to the Supreme Court.
The 19-year-old pop star said: “I’m devastated and terrified and so many women and girls are going to die because of this.
“I wanted to dedicate this next song to the five members of the Supreme Court who showed us at the end of the day they truly don’t give a s*** about freedom.
“This song goes out to the justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Cavanaugh. We hate you guys!”
Megan Thee Stallion
The “Hot Girl Summer” singer was also performing at Glastonbury Festival when she shared her thoughts about the ruling.
Mid-performance, Megan Thee Stallion said: “You know it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t say something about these stupid-a** men. I mean, goddamn. What else you want?
“Texas really embarrassing me right now; ya’ll know that’s my home state,” she added.
“And I want to have it on the mother***ing record that the hot boys and the hot girls do not support this bulls*** that ya’ll campaign for. My body is my mother***ing choice.”
Megan later took to Instagram to post an infographic about the ruling and urged her 29.1 million followers not to “back down”.
“I’m going to keep fighting because everyone deserves access to the care they need,” she wrote in the post caption.
Kesha
Kesha declared that she is “not done fighting” for abortion rights during her performance at Pride Live’s Stonewall Day 2022 in New York City.
Taking to the stage on the day the ruling was handed down, the High Road singer said: “With the Supreme Court ruling, overturning Roe v. Wade today, I don’t want to bring down the mood, but it’s important that we understand that we are a family.
“Look around. These are our brothers and our f***ing sisters. We need each other. We are not alone in this, and we need you now more than ever. We all need to stick together, and we really need to remember that this s*** was punk.
“This was not easy. This is not going to be easy, and we are not done fighting. But today we’re here to celebrate who the f*** we are.”
Kendrick Lamar
Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar used his Glastonbury debut to speak out in support of women’s rights following the Supreme Court’s ruling.
At the end of his 90-minute set, the rapper said repeatedly: “They judge me; they judge Christ. Godspeed for women’s rights.”
Lorde
Lorde, who performed before Lamar at the festival at Worthy Farm this weekend, also said: “F*** the Supreme Court”.
The New Zealand singer said on stage: “Welcome to sadness. The temperature is unbearable until you face it. Wanna hear a secret, girls? Your bodies were destined to be controlled and objectified since before you were born.
“That horror is your birthright. But here’s another secret. You possess ancient strength. Ancient widsom. Wisdom that has propelled every woman that came before you. That wisdom is also your birthright. I ask you today, make exercising that wisdom your life’s work because everything depends on it. F*** the Supreme Court.”
Phoebe Bridgers
During her performance at Glastonbury, Phoebe Bridgers led the crowd to chants of “F*** the Supreme Court”.
The 27-year-old, who recently revealed she had an abortion last year, said during her set: “It’s super surreal, but I’m having the s****iest time.
“All these irrelevant old motherf***ers trying to tell us what to do with our fucking bodies. F*** it.”
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish, who was a headliner at the festival and performed on the Pyramid Stage, said it was a “dark day” for American women because of the ruling.
“I’m just gonna say that because I can’t bear to think about it any longer in this moment,” she added.
P!nk
Taking to Twitter to express her opinion, P!nk wrote on Friday after the ruling was handed down: “Let’s be clear: if you believe the government belongs in a woman’s uterus, a gay person’s business or marriage, or that racism is okay – then please in the name of your Lord, never f***ing listen to my music again. And also f*** right off. We good?”
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift said the ruling made her feel “absolutely terrified”.
Taking to Twitter on Friday, the Folklore singer wrote: “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.”
Swift also shared a statement by former First Lady Michelle Obama, who wrote: “I am heartbroken for people around this country who just lost the fundamental right to make informed decisions about their own bodies.
“This is what our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers lived through, and now here we are again.”
Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks took to Twitter to share a health update following her tour, and added an important message about the ruling.
The 74-year-old music legend reassured fans that she had not caught Covid during her tour, but added: “That is the good news. The bad news is that our women’s rights have been taken away.”
She urged fans to watch a 2022 documentary titled The Janes, which follows a group of female activists who built an underground network that provided women with unwanted pregnancies with low-cost and free illegal abortions before Roe v Wade.
“It is a huge Deja Vu for me as it is about my generation leading up to Roe v Wade,” Nicks wrote. “Please watch it. It will blow your mind... History is repeating itself and it’s even more frightening this time.”
Laura Prepon
Orange Is The New Black star Laura Prepon opened about her abortion, which occurred when her pregnancy at the time was in its second trimester.
She wrote on social media that is was “one of the worst days of my life when I made the choice”, but that the “devastating truth is that we found out the fetus would not survive to full term and that my life was at risk as well”.
“At the time - I had the choice. Everyone has their own story for seeking out this medical procedre and I empathise with anyone who’s been faced with this impossible decision,” Prepon continued.
“I am praying for all of us, that we can get through this challenging time and regain agency over our own bodies.”
Halsey
Badlands singer Halsey has been vocal about abortion and took a few moments out of her recent concert in Phoenix, Arizona, to express her thoughts on the Supreme Court’s decision.
On stage, she urged fans to be politically active, adding: “Here in Arizona, you guys got to promise me that you’re gonna do that work so that the person to the left of you and to the right of you has that right for the rest of their lives.
“If you don’t like it, you can go home right now - I don’t care. If you don’t like it, I don’t know why you came to a Halsey concert because I’ve never been shy that this is how I feel.”
Following her remarks, she led the crowd into a chant, shouting: “My body! My choice!”
Selena Gomez
On the day the ruling was handed down, Selena Gomez tweeted: “Watching a Constitutional right be stripped away is horrific. A woman should have the right to CHOOSE what she wants to do with her own body. End of story.”
On Monday, in a red carpet interview with Variety, the Only Murders in the Building star said: “It’s about getting men - men needing to stand up and also speak against this issue.
“It’s also the amount of women that are hurting. I’m just not happy anbd I hope that we can do everything in our power to do something to change that.”
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