Halsey defends abortion rights in wake of Supreme Court leak: "I cannot stress enough the implications of this moment"

Halsey joined the wave of public figures condemning the Supreme Court’s draft opinion to overturn Roe vs. Wade, leaked via Politico last night and confirmed by Judge Roberts.

Speaking to her 29.3 million Instagram followers, Halsey wrote, “This is one of the most significant events we will witness in our lifetimes.”

A new mother herself, Halsey added, “This is a cruel attack on our fundamental right to choose if and when to have a child. I felt this way before I became a mother and I feel this way even more now after having my son.”

Halsey further stressed in her post that overturning the bill will “Most seriously [impact] people of colour, rural areas and socio-economically impacted communities” and that “The time to take action is NOW.” She encouraged her fanbase to make donations if possible to the ACLU and Planned Parenthood along with respective local organisations and to educate themselves on their own state legislators.

“I know it seems like this conversation is happening constantly and many of us have lived with the mental security that we would never witness the revocation of this right,” Halsey wrote, echoing the shock of millions of Americans.

 

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Roe vs. Wade was put in place in 1973, establishing the constitutional right to abortion within the first three months of pregnancy. According to a CNN poll, just 30% of Americans disagree with Roe vs. Wade, while a large majority (69%) do not wish for the bill to be overturned. Statistics show that how most Americans feel about abortion is being disproportionately represented by the conservative-majority Supreme Court.

Last Saturday marked Roe vs. Wade’s bittersweet 49th anniversary. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death in 2020 opened a spot in the Supreme Court, which was filled by Trump-appointed conservative Amy Coney Barrett and tipped the scales toward a 6-3 conservative majority. Many activists who fought for access to reproductive rights are now returning nearly fifty years later to begin the fight all over again.

Halsey, a Grammy-nominated singer, has been vocal about her political and ethical beliefs since her rise over a decade ago, going particularly viral for her astounding spoken word speech at the 2018 Women's March. Four years later, her words and activism remain as relevant as ever.

Halsey further alerted in her post that many states are armed with trigger bans that will go into immediate effect pending this decision, meaning at least 13 states will outlaw abortion beginning this summer.

“Many of those who seek abortion out of state will be at risk of persecution as well,” Halsey declared. “I cannot stress enough the implications of this moment in history.”

READ: Phoebe Bridgers shares her own abortion story as Roe v Wade comes under threat