Michelle Obama and Amy Schumer are leading the furious public criticism of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade today – with the former First Lady slamming the move as ‘horrifying’ while warning that it will have ‘devastating consequences’ for women across the US.
The 58-year-old took to Instagram to post a lengthy statement slamming the decision on Friday, describing herself as ‘heartbroken’ while blasting the Supreme Court for ridding women of their ‘fundamental right to make informed decisions about their own bodies’.
‘I am heartbroken that we may now be destined to learn the painful lessons of a time before Roe was made law of the land – a time when women risked losing their lives getting illegal abortions,’ she wrote.
‘A time when the government denied women control over their reproductive functions, forced them to move forward with pregnancies they didn’t want, and then abandoned them once their babies were born.
‘That is what our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers lived through, and now we are here again.’
Michelle Obama and Amy Schumer led the furious public criticism of SCOTUS’ decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday
Obama braded the decision ‘horrifying’ and warning that it will have ‘devastating consequences for women across the US’
She urged pro-choice supporters to ‘channel their frustration and anger into action by getting involved’, before highlighting organizations like Planned Parenthood and The United State of Women
Obama was one of dozens of high-profile figures to speak out against the decision on Friday – with Schumer, 41, accusing the Supreme Court of determining women’s rights by following the ‘intentions of a bunch of slave-owning rapists who’ve been dead for hundreds of years’.
She then appeared to take aim at Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who in 2018 and 2019 was accused of sexual assault by several women, writing on her Instagram Stories: ‘And women’s bodily autonomy should not be determined by men who’ve been accused of sexual assault.’
Both Obama and Schumer then urged pro-choice supporters to take action by fighting back against the decision, with former President Barack Obama’s wife urging her followers to ‘channel their frustration and anger into action’ by supporting organizations like Planned Parenthood and The United State of Women.
‘This moment is difficult, but our story does not end here,’ the mother-of-two said. ‘It may not feel like we are able to do much right now, but we can. And we must.
‘If you’re like me and you want to get started right now, I encourage you to channel your frustration and anger into action by getting involved. Organizations like Planned Parenthood and The United State of Women, among many others, have resources you can look to if you want to help others or if you need help yourself.
‘Our hearts may be broken today, but tomorrow, we’ve got to get up and find the courage to keep working towards creating the more just America we all deserve. We have so much left to push for, to rally for, to speak for – and I know we can do this together.’
Schumer said that the decision equated to SCOTUS determining women’s rights by ‘interpreting the intentions of a bunch of slave-owning rapists who’ve been dead for hundreds of years’
Schumer meanwhile, who is a mother-of-one, urged her followers to support Bans Off Our Bodies, a ‘national campaign led by abortion rights supporters’ which ‘collectively mobilizes against abortion bans’.
She also shared information about a planned ‘All out for abortion rights’ rally, which is taking place in New York City’s Washington Square Park on Friday evening.
The comedian went on to highlight the stark contrast between the lack of gun control laws in the US and the rules governing abortion rights, writing on Instagram that ‘late term abortions via school shootings are still available’, while re-posting a tweet about SCOTUS eliminating the constitutional right to abortion.
British actress Jameela Jamil – who is now based in the US – also drew comparisons between abortion rights and gun control laws, while branding the Supreme Court Justices who voted in favor of overruling Roe v. Wade ‘f***ing evil bastards’ and accusing pro-life supporters of using dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale as a ‘manifesto’.
‘Oh my god. Roe v. Wade is gone. My heart is completely broken. What happened to this country?’ she wrote in an Instagram image, adding in the caption: ‘The past six years has been terrifying and somehow keeps getting worse. These f***ing evil bastards know that this never ends abortion, it only ends safe abortion. We need to VOTE. No wonder they are banning Handmaid’s Tale in Texas. They are using it as a manifesto…
‘PRO LIFE, but only saying abortion has to be decided state by state, but gun laws are protected nationwide… f***ing hundreds of mass shootings this year and it’s only June.’
British actress Jameela Jamil – who now lives in the US – raised questions about the economic ramifications of the decision, asking: ‘Who is gonna pay for all these unwanted babies?’
Hailey Bieber, 25, said she was ‘speechless’ over the decision, describing it as ‘really really scary’
Busy Philipps urged her followers to attend a rally in New York on Friday, while furiously blasting the Supreme Court, adding: ‘I have no words. This is total devastation’
In a second post, she highlighted the economic ramifications of the decision, questioning who will ‘pay for all these unwanted babies’, and asking: ‘Who is going to better fund the adoption system?’
‘Who is giving out free healthcare to people forced to follow through on pregnancies?’ she continued. ‘Who is going to pay for the food, shelter and educations of these forced children? Or the therapy of the rape victims and children forced to carry pregnancies to term?
‘Can’t even f***ing feed, treat or shelter the people already here. AmeriCAN’T. These f***ing dinosaurs will be dead before they see the devastating impact on our society.’
Model Hailey Bieber, 25, described the landmark decision as ‘really really scary’ in her own post about it, writing: ‘Wow… I’m speechless. What an extreme loss and disappointment. This is really really scary.’
Actress and TV host Busy Philipps joined Schumer in encouraging her followers to attend the Washington Square rally, sharing a flyer for the event on her Instagram, while writing: ‘I have no words. This is total devastation. See you tonight New York and I hope you show the f**k up wherever you live.’
She added on Twitter: ‘It doesn’t end here. F**k this sham. F**k these people. If you’re a single issue voter and your issue is your taxes, f**k you too. This Supreme Court is on you.’
Actress and former politician Cynthia Nixon called attention to the ‘devastating’ timing of the decision being announced during Pride Month – particularly because the ruling issued by the Supreme Court also casts doubts over the future of other legislation, which protects the the rights of those within the LGBTQ community, including the right to same-sex marriages.
She posted the concurring judgement of Justice Clarence Thomas, in which he wrote: ‘For that reason, in future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell’.
‘This ruling today at the height of Pride Month is particularly devastating,’ Nixon wrote on Twitter. ‘The foundation upon which Roe rested is the same that has protected so many of our rights as LGBTQ+ people. Clarence Thomas says as much. We’re all in this together.’
The Supreme Court overruled the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision Friday morning by upholding Mississippi’s restrictive 15-week abortion ban.
‘The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives,’ the decision said.
Tensions over the future of abortion rights in the country have been running high since a draft opinion of Dobbs was leaked – and showed that the high court’s conservative majority was poised to push whether abortion was legal back to the states.
The 6-3 conservative majority made good on what the draft said, with liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer dissenting. Chief Justice John Roberts concurred. Conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas also filed concurring opinion.
‘Guided by the history and tradition that map the essential components of the Nation’s concept of ordered liberty, the Court finds the Fourteenth Amendment clearly does not protect the right to an abortion,’ the decision, penned by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, said.
There are 18 states that have near-total bans on their books, while four more have time-limit band and four others are likely to pass new bans if Roe is overturned