Planned Parenthood has tapped scores of young musicians, entertainers and influencers to condemn the U.S. Supreme Court's potential decision to strip their "constitutional right to abortion" by overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
In the New York Times on Friday, 160 female, male and nonbinary individuals listed their names on a full-page ad as part of the organization's #BansOffOurBodies campaign denouncing the decision and some states' abortion bans.
Among the many bold-faced names are Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, Selena Gomez and Shawn Mendes. Joining them are Asa Butterfield, Beanie Feldstein, Bishop Briggs, Finneas, Karlie Kloss, Kendall Jenner, Demi Lovato, Halsey, Hailey Bieber, Hayley Kiyoko, Lauren Jauregui, Madison Beer, Noah Cyrus, Phoebe Bridgers, Lykke Li, Tinashe and Meghan Trainor.
"The Supreme Court is planning to overturn Roe v. Wade, taking away the constitutional right to abortion," the ad said. "Our power to plan our own futures and control our own bodies depends on our ability to access sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion. We are Artists. Creators. Storytellers. We are the new generation stepping into our power. Now we are being robbed of our power. WE WILL NOT GO BACK — AND WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN."
The ad is one of many that have already begun flooding people's TVs and phones as the midterm election races heat up. It also comes ahead of Planned Parenthood's Bans Off Our Bodies Day of Action. The reproductive healthcare provider has teamed up with other organizations such as Women's March, UltraViolet, MoveOn, Liberate Abortion and SEIU to hold massive rallies and marches across the U.S. on Saturday in support of abortion rights and to protest the high court's action, which ignited a firestorm earlier this month when a purported draft majority opinion was leaked to Politico.
"Should the Supreme Court take away the constitutional right to safe, legal abortion, young people stand to lose the most," said Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson in a statement Friday to The Times. "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," Johnson added. "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."
The celebrity-endorsed ad coincides with a number of famous advocates speaking out against limitations and bans on abortion rights in the wake of the SCOTUS leak. Amy Schumer spoke out against it on "Late Night With Seth Meyers," Rodrigo condemned it while performing onstage, Bridgers shared her abortion story, and countless others have taken to social media to "express their outrage and stand in solidarity with abortion rights and Planned Parenthood's patients and staff," the organization said.
———
