A new full-page ad in The New York Times features 160 young artists and influencers advocating for reproductive freedom, including abortion rights. They oppose the Supreme Court’s plan to overturn Roe v. Wade and end our national constitutional right to an abortion, laid out in a recent leaked draft opinion.
As part of Planned Parenthood’s #BansOffOurBodies campaign, the artists signed on to the Bans Off Our Bodies ad, which appears in the May 13 edition of The New York Times. The ad denounces the Supreme Court’s plan to eliminate the constitutional right to an abortion and is supported by nearly 160 young artists and influencers, including Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez, Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, Demi Lovato, Halsey, Hailey Bieber, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch, Karlie Kloss, Ariana DeBose, Madelyn Cline, Hailee Steinfeld, Dove Cameron, FINNEAS, Hayley Kiyoko, Madison Beer, Phoebe Bridgers, Joey King, Peyton List, Lauren Jauregui, Jenna Ortega, Storm Reid, Tinashe, Meghan Trainor, Tommy Dorfman, Melanie Martinez, Liza Koshy, and Maia Mitchell. These young artists are encouraging their fans to join them in speaking out in support of the right to access sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion.
The celebrity-endorsed Bans Off Our Bodies ad runs in advance of tomorrow’s May 14 Bans Off Our Bodies Day of Action. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to turn out for rallies, marches, and events across the country in support of abortion rights. The events are being organized by Planned Parenthood organizations, Women’s March, UltraViolet, MoveOn, Liberate Abortion, SEIU and other national partners. More information on the Bans Off Our Bodies Day of Action can be found at BansOff.org.
Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America
“Should the Supreme Court take away the constitutional right to safe, legal abortion, young people stand to lose the most. So many of us — who grew up with the understanding that Roe was settled law — could have never imagined that our own children would have fewer rights and less freedom over their own bodies and futures. What we see in young people from all walks of life is that they aren’t backing down — not today, not ever. Like the artists who signed on to this ad, their resolve to keep bans off their bodies is a source of hope during a dark time, and we are determined to keep fighting alongside them, for them.”
In fighting for their right to control their own bodies and futures, this generation of artists joins many other notable public figures in speaking out against the Supreme Court’s plan to overturn Roe v. Wade. Amy Schumer spoke about the issue last week on Late Night With Seth Meyers, encouraging people to stand up for abortion rights. Every late night TV show covered the issue and its consequences for the country, including SNL, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and more. Following the leak, celebrities such as Olivia Rodrigo spoke out from the stage while performing, Phoebe Bridgers shared her abortion story online, and Tracee Ellis Ross, Jonathan Van Ness, Reese Witherspoon, Questlove, Maggie Rogers, Cher, Elizabeth Banks, Halsey, Mindy Kaling, Busy Philipps, and many others took to social media to express their outrage and stand in solidarity with abortion rights and Planned Parenthood’s patients and staff.
The Supreme Court’s likely decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey coincides with a massive increase in abortion bans. Since the start of the year, more than 500 abortion restrictions have been introduced by state lawmakers across 42 states. Six states — Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, Idaho, and Wyoming — have enacted abortion bans so far this year. The Oklahoma ban, which was signed into law just last week, was modeled after Texas’s six-week abortion ban that took effect last September, and leaves millions of people across the region without access to this critical care.
If Roe and Casey are overturned, the consequences will be devastating for millions across America. 26 states will likely move to ban abortion, leaving 36 million women and other people who can become pregnant without abortion access. These dangerous abortion bans will disproportionately affect those who already face barriers to health care due to systemic racism and discrimination, including Black women and Latinas. More than half of Black women in America live in southern states, most of which are primed to ban abortion.
This generation of artists stands with the majority of Americans who support abortion. Dismantling Roe will go against the will of the 80% of Americans who want abortion to be legal, and the nearly 1 in 4 women who will have one in their lifetime.
