US Soccer captain Megan Rapinoe is calling on American men to ‘stand up’ to stop the ‘violent and consistent onslaught on the autonomy of women’s bodies’ following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s friendly with Colombia, the emotional Rapinoe fought back tears while putting the blame for the decision squarely on American men and the power structure within the US.
‘We clearly cannot do this on our own, with the composition of the power structure in our country,’ she told reporters, as quoted by Yahoo! Sports’ Henry Bushnell. ‘And frankly, that falls on you.’
She described the ruling as the US government’s attempt to spread a belief structure that is ‘deeply rooted in white supremacist, patriarchal Christianity.’
‘I just can’t understate how sad and how cruel this is,’ she said. ‘I think the cruelty is the point, because this is not pro-life, by any means.’
US Soccer captain Megan Rapinoe is calling on American men to ‘stand up’ to stop the ‘violent and consistent onslaught on the autonomy of women’s bodies’ following the US Supreme Court ‘s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday
Abortion rights and anti-abortion demonstrators outside the US Supreme Court in Washington
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s friendly with Colombia, the emotional Rapinoe fought back tears while putting the blame for the decision squarely on American men and the power structure within the US
The Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping away the country’s half-century-old constitutional protections for abortions. The decision is expected to lead to a flurry of abortion bans across conservative-leaning states, some of which already have trigger laws on the books that will go into effect in the coming days and weeks.
The 6-3 decision was made possible, in part, by former President Donald Trump’s SCOTUS appointees: Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.
According to Rapinoe, an outspoken advocate for women and LGBTQ groups, men have enjoyed privilege in the US while allowing women to shoulder the burden of this fight against abortion restrictions.
‘I should not be the loudest voice in the room,’ Rapinoe said. ‘No woman should be the loudest voice in the room. This is what allyship looks like. This is what, frankly, doing the right thing looks like.
‘If not for men, we would have none of these laws, we would have none of the inequality in terms of gender rights and this onslaught on abortion rights, none of this would be happening,’ she continued. ‘We did not do this ourselves. And I would take it personally, what I’m saying, as an accusation, as a come-to-Jesus moment, as a ‘look in the mirror, you are complicit in all of this.’
Tennis legend and longtime activist Billie Jean King also added her voice to the conversation
The OL Reign, Rapinoe’s NWSL team, released a statement criticizing the SCOTUS ruling
Rapinoe also stressed that this ruling will primarily impact women who were already at risk due to any number of factors.
‘We know that this will disproportionately affect poor women, black women, brown women, immigrants, women in abusive relationships, women who have been raped, women and girls who have been raped by family members, who, you know what, maybe just didn’t make the best choice,’ she said.
The WNBA’s Seattle Storm, a team that employs Rapnioe’s partner, Sue Bird, also criticized the SCOTUS decision on Friday
‘And that’s no reason to be forced to have a pregnancy,’ she continued. ‘It will completely exacerbate so many of the existing inequalities that we have in our country. It doesn’t keep not one single person safer. It doesn’t keep not one single child safer, certainly. And it does not keep one single — inclusive term — woman safer. We know that the lack of abortion [rights] does not stop people from having abortions, it stops people from having safe abortions.’
Rapinoe’s comments come days after she spoke out in favor of transgender women competing in women’s sports – a hot-button issue that critics says threatens the existence of female athletics.
She was hardly the only athlete speaking out against Roe v. Wade on Friday.
The WNBA, where Rapinoe’s partner Sue Bird plays, also released a statement.
‘This decision shows a branch of government that is so out of touch with the country and any sense of human dignity’ the WNBA statement began. It went on to encourage Americans to vote.
‘We must recognize that when we cast a ballot it is to elect officials and to connect the dots to policies and legislation that align with our values.’
Several NBA players also chimed in, including Denver Nuggets guard Austin Rivers and Portland Trail Blazers forward Josh Hart, who apologized to ‘the women in this country’
The NWSL released its own statement Friday
Tennis legend and longtime activist Billie Jean King also added her voice to the conversation.
‘The Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade, which for nearly 50 years has protected the right to abortion,’ she tweeted. ‘This decision will not end abortion. What it will end is safe and legal access to this vital medical procedure. It is a sad day in the United States.’
Several NBA players also chimed in, including Denver Nuggets guard Austin Rivers and Portland Trail Blazers forward Josh Hart.
‘So what about the people who aren’t ready/qualified to be parents???…what kind of world is going to be waiting for some of these kids,’ Rivers posted to Twitter. ‘Smh sad day. Is America going backwards??’
Hart’s message was more succinct: ‘To the women in this country….I’m Sorry.’
Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. called the decision ‘unilaterally unjust’ and told any of his followers who were upset over his comment to ‘cancel me if you’d like.’
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. called the decision ‘unilaterally unjust’
