CONTENT WARNING: The following article discusses abortion and sexual assault
Dozens of musicians have hit social media to condemn a new bill criminalising abortion in the US state of Alabama.
The Alabama Human Life Protection Act, voted into law by 25 white male Christian senators, makes it illegal for anyone — including children and victims of rape or incest — to terminate their pregnancy at any stage.
Under the legislation, doctors who perform the procedure could also face up to 99 years in prison, effectively rendering the punishment for performing an abortion on a rape victim harsher than that of actual rape.
Lady Gaga has led the charge slamming the bill in a ferocious tweet just hours after it was passed into law.
“It is an outrage to ban abortion in Alabama, period, and all the more heinous that it excludes those who have been raped or are experiencing incest, non-consensual or not,” she wrote.
“So there’s a higher penalty for doctors who perform these operations than for most rapists? This is a travesty, and I pray for all these women and young girls who suffer at the hands of this system.”
#AlabamaAbortionBan #Alabama #AlabamaSenate #NoUterusNoOpinion #PlannedParenthood #ProChoice I love you Alabama prayers to all women and young girls here are my thoughts: pic.twitter.com/LqmVyV8qsA
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) May 15, 2019
Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus has also weighed in, tweeting: “Abortion should be legal, safe, and easy to access. End of. Stop trying to tell women what to do with their bodies. Namaste.”
Abortion should be legal, safe, and easy to access. End of. Stop trying to tell women what to do with their bodies. Namaste. ??
— mark hoppus (@markhoppus) May 15, 2019
Though not referencing the situation directly, Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams also took to Twitter to draw comparisons between “the current war on women’s bodies/minds” and the society depicted in the Hulu series A Handmaid’s Tale.
“If you’re a man and you think that The Handmaid’s Tale is a well-crafted show but maybe not the best way for a modern society to operate then it’s a really good time to start speaking out against the current war on women’s bodies/minds,” the pop-punk kween tweeted. “We need your allyship.”
https://twitter.com/yelyahwilliams/status/1128684194044030978
Other musicians to speak out against the legislation include All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth, Anti-Flag and even Aussie rapper Briggs.
Read what they had to say below.
If you need assistance, 1800 RESPECT – the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service — can be reached on 1800 737 732.
For help or information regarding mental health, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
So a woman can get an Assault Rifle but not an Abortion? But what if she needs an Abortion to protect her property or herself from a tyrannical government that have lost their minds?
— Senator Briggs (@Briggs) May 16, 2019
If you are angry about what is taking place in Alabama, donate to people who are doing real work to keep abortion legal and safe. yellowfund
“This awesome protestor is showing up for… https://t.co/EYTvQwJLiB
— Anti-Flag (@anti_flag) May 15, 2019
Fuck the politicians who would take away a woman’s right to choose what is best for her body, her health and her well being. The efforts to regress will not stick for long.
— Alex Gaskarth (@AlexGaskarth) May 15, 2019
