American actor and humanitarian Ashley Judd has responded to the US Supreme Court’s response Roe vs. Wade’s FlipTelling CNBC that individuals should be free to make their own choices.
Ashley, speaking specifically of reproductive choices, “everyone should be autonomous in their reproductive choices because democracy begins with our skin.”
The actress, best known for the 90s films “Ruby in Paradise,” “Double Jopardy” and “Heat,” is also a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund and made it clear that she as a person makes the controversial decision. was talking about. , and their comments do not represent UNFPA.
“Personally, when a man raped me in 1999, it was necessary for me to have an abortion. So it was essential for me to have access to legal and safe abortion,” Judd told CNBC’s Tania Bryer last Thursday. In the interview asked to mark the world. Population Day.
“And I understand that people have a wide variety of opinions and where I come down to is, even if a person doesn’t think it’s a good fit for them, whatever their particular reasoning, each person has to make a difference in their reproductive choices. Must be autonomous because democracy starts with our skin.”
Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 legal decision that recognized women’s constitutional right to abortion in the United States, was overturned on June 24.
US President Joe Biden told the Supreme Court’s decision As “a sad day for the court and the country”. He has said that reinstating Congress Roe v. Wade as federal law is the only way to secure a woman’s right to choose.
on Friday he signed an executive order “Protecting access to reproductive health care services, including abortion and contraception.”
An abortion rights rally in Mineola, New York, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022.
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Judd told CNBC that if she couldn’t get an abortion, she would have had to co-parent the person who raped her.
“Because in many states—more people can go RAINN.orgrape, [Abuse] And Incest National Network, to see … the laws in their states – rapists have paternity rights,” she said.
“So we’re not only demanding that children and women terminate pregnancies that occurred through rape, they’re saying that potentially you have to co-parent with the person who raped you.
This is what reverses Roe v. Wade and what the states are doing when they criminalize termination,” he added.
Family planning
As UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador, Judd told CNBC that family planning is vital to the empowerment of women and girls, as it prevents unintended pregnancies and reduces the need for abortions.
Judd, whose mother was the late country music icon Naomi Judd, has served as a goodwill ambassador since 2016. UNFPA is the sexual and reproductive health agency of the United Nations.
in his Status of World Population Report 2022According to UNFPA, nearly half of pregnancies worldwide occur unintentionally each year. More than 60% of unintended pregnancies end in miscarriage and an estimated 45% of all abortions remain unsafe.
“My maternal grandfather had an unintended pregnancy, my mother had an unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy is so ubiquitous … Family planning is important for girls and women to prevent these unintended pregnancies. First, we should address the need for abortion. What everyone wants to do, it’s something we can universally and unanimously agree on,” Judd told CNBC.
“And it’s impossible when you have an unintended pregnancy and you can’t take care of your baby, whether it’s through health care, whether it’s through nutrition, whether it’s through child care, when You may be looking for employment, the ability to reach your fullest and be a contributing member of society.”
Judd said some progress is being made, and more people are being educated and healthier results are being achieved.
Nevertheless, she added that “women should still be able to have reproductive autonomy and choose whether and when to have children and how to place the birth of their children because they know best.”
“And so relying on women and their families to access their family planning and to rely on those decisions is the key to truly eradicating poverty around the world.”