Phoebe Bridgers bravely shares her abortion story: ‘Everyone deserves that kind of access’

Phoebe Bridgers bravely shares her abortion story: 'Everyone deserves that kind of access'

Musician Phoebe Bridgers opened up about having an abortion last year, after a leaked Supreme Court opinion indicated a that abortion rights in the United States may be overturned.

The singer said on social media that she had an abortion while she was on tour in October 2021 and that she was able to easily access services at sexual healthcare organisation Planned Parenthood.

Linking to an article sharing abortion fundraisers, Phoebe Bridgers said on Twitter:  “I went to Planned Parenthood where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access.”

Fans praised her for opening up about her experience, with one Twitter user saying: “Normalising miscarriages and abortions helps people tremendously. It’s not taboo. Everyone knows someone who’s had one, whether they’ve told you or not.”

https://twitter.com/phoebe_bridgers/status/1521582506801254400

The news that the United States Supreme Court may overturn Roe v Wade, which legalised abortion across the country, leaked on Monday (2 May) to widespread criticism.

Politico published a leaked draft opinion, written by conservative justice Samuel Alito, who called the 1973 ruling “egregiously wrong from the start”.

Alito wrote: “We hold that Roemust be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.

“That provision has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, but any such right must be ‘deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition’ and ‘implicit in the concept of ordered liberty’. The right to abortion does not fall within this category.”
The document is only a draft, and the Supreme Court’s holding will not be set in stone until the final opinion is published, which is likely to happen within the next two months.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released a joint statement criticising the opinion, stating: “If the report is accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past 50 years – not just on women but on all Americans.

“The Republican-appointed Justices’ reported votes to overturn Roe v Wade would go down as an abomination, one of the worst and most damaging decisions in modern history.”