Halsey has joined a list of growing artists who have hit out at the US Supreme Court’s private vote to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which made abortion legal.
Earlier this week, Politico published a leaked draft opinion penned by Justice Samuel Alito which argued that Roe v. Wade was “egregiously wrong from the start” adding that “it is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
If the court goes through with overturning the landmark case, abortion will no longer be protected as a federal right in the US, and each state would be able to decide individually whether to restrict or ban abortion.
The move sparked anger yesterday (May 3) among artists including Phoebe Bridgers, Garbage, and Questlove.
The overturning of Roe V Wade will mark a catastrophic shift in our fundamental rights to bodily autonomy and reproductive health care. We are constituents and we have the right and responsibility to fight this.@aclu@PPFA @AbortionFunds pic.twitter.com/zYlXSZqzCu
— h (@halsey) May 4, 2022
Now Halsey has added her voice to the argument, with a lengthy post on Twitter.
She wrote: “This is one of the most significant events we will witness in our lifetimes. The effects of this decision will spiral into lethal situations for our entire country, most seriously impacting people of colour, rural areas and socioeconomically impacted communities. The time to take action is now.”
Halsey encouraged people to attend local rallies, and to make donations to places such as the ACLU, AbortionFunds.org or local organisations, and to become more involved in local legislation.
“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,” she added.
“I know it seems like every time we worry, it’s a false alarm. But it’s not. That security comes from people like you, people at ACLU, Planned Parenthood and more who are actively advocating to protect this right.”
She went on to state that while all 50 states provide access to abortion now, it may not be the case in the summer.
Halsey said: “Many of those who seek abortion out of state will be at risk of persecution as well. I cannot stress enough the implications of this moment in history. 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.
“Pregnancy and having a child is a dangerous and life altering experience, though one that can be beautiful if you are consenting and desiring of it. Everyone deserves the right to choose and the right to make that choice safely. Please take action.”
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