Actress Bette Midler has never been one to shy away from controversy, and her latest comments about a recent Texas abortion ruling have people talking, to say the least.
Midler, who is widely known for her roles in movies like ‘The First Wives Club’ and ‘Hocus Pocus,’ has become a passionate advocate for a woman’s right to choose an abortion.
She took to social media recently to post post the following rant in support of her stance, which included a call for women to carryout a nationwide “sex strike” in response to the state of Texas recent ruling banning any abortion after six weeks.
“I suggest that all women refuse to have sex with men until they are guaranteed the right to choose by Congress,” she said.
Opponents say the ruling doesn’t allow enough time for a woman to know whether she is definitely pregnant or not before proceeding.
Midler added: “Why do #antivaxxers and #antimaskers get to live the ‘my body, my choice’ life, but pregnant women are not allowed to? How is this fair?”.
The longtime Hollywood star was joined by musician Nancy Sinatra in cosigning her controversial “no-sex protest plan.”
Sinatra had the following to say about her stance.
“My dad actually suggested that decades ago” she said.
Midler also quoted historian and professor Heather Cox Richardson in another comment.
“A state has undermined the power of the federal government to protect civil rights,” she wrote.
“It has given individuals who disagree with one particular right the power to take it away from their neighbors.”
In addition to Midler and Sinatra, best-selling singer Billie Eilish also chimed in against the bill, urging others to get involved.
The ruling would also allow private citizens to sue people who assisted in delivering an abortion, which stretches to providing transport of funds.
It would ultimately give Texas some of the strictest abortion laws in the Western world, according to a report from Far Out Magazine.
Midler has also taken aim at the pro-life status quo in Alabama and Georgia, comparing it with the quality of life in those states.
The anti-abortion group American Life League has also tussled with Midler in the comments sections of her posts, offering the following response to the above message.
While things in America have seemed to calm down since a tumultuous 2020, it appears as if the debate and discourse over some of our most polarizing issues is just starting up yet again, and celebrities like Midler are leading the charge.
