Overturned abortion rights
‘My heart was broken today’: Michelle Obama dismayed by Supreme Court verdict
Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States, is dismayed by the court decision
© Teresa Crawford / AP / dpa
Michelle Obama is dismayed by the decision of the US Supreme Court. Her heart was broken, she writes on Twitter. At the same time, she encourages young people to take action against the decision.
Ex-President Barack Obama’s wife spoke out after the US Supreme Court ruled. “My heart was broken today,” wrote Michelle Obama on Twitter. In a one-page letter, she expresses her dismay at the overturned abortion law and expresses her solidarity with those who are particularly affected by the verdict. In the letter, Obama particularly emphasizes her regret for “(…) those who have been deprived of the fundamental right to make informed decisions about their bodies”.
Her heart is broken for women who used to risk their lives through illegal abortions. In the letter, Obama recalls a time when the government ruled childbirth, forced pregnancy on women, and eventually cast them out after children were born. “That’s what our mothers and grandmothers went through, and today we’re back there.”
This “terrifying judgment” will have “devastating consequences”. It must be a wake-up call for young people who “have to bear this burden”. Obama is primarily addressing young teenage girls who could not finish school because of unwanted pregnancies.
“Finding the Courage for a Fairer America”
At the same time, she encouraged the young people. “This moment is difficult, but our story doesn’t end there. It doesn’t feel like there’s much we can do now, but we can, and we must,” Obama said. “I encourage you to take your frustration and anger into action and get involved.” Organizations like Planned Parenthood and The United State of Women are there to help.
“Our hearts were broken today, but tomorrow we must stand up and find the courage to create a fairer America that we all deserve. We have so much to stand up for, speak up for — and I know that we can do it together,” Obama affirmed at the end of her letter.
Ex-President Obama calls for resistance
Ex-President Barack Obama also spoke up after the court ruling – and called for resistance. “Today the Supreme Court not only reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, it left the most personal decision anyone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologues — and attacked the fundamental freedoms of millions of Americans,” Obama wrote on Twitter.
Obama also shared an image with a caption: “Join the activists who have been raising the alarm about access to abortion for years and take action. Stand with them at a local protest,” it said.
The Supreme Court had previously overturned the country’s liberal abortion law in a landmark decision. The mostly conservative Supreme Court thus paved the way for stricter abortion laws – even including complete bans in some US states. Under the previous President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court moved significantly to the right.