Women’s rights hashtags trend on Twitter following Alabama abortion law

Women’s rights hashtags began trending on Twitter Thursday, one day after Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed into law a bill that would ban nearly all abortions in the state.

By Thursday afternoon, #AbortionIsAWomansRight and #WomensReproductiveRights were among top U.S. trends on Twitter, with the former topping the list with over 154,000 tweets.

Politicians, celebrities, activists and more used the hashtags to denounce a spate of GOP-led bills across the U.S. seeking to restrict abortions.{mosads}

Freshman Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.) tweeted about her own experience with an unplanned pregnancy and miscarriage. 

“When I was 18, I had an unplanned pregnancy,” Hill wrote. “Even though I had a miscarriage, I can’t imagine what it would have been like to face that impossible situation without a choice — the government has no place in a decision this personal.”

When I was 18, I had an unplanned pregnancy. Even though I had a miscarriage, I can’t imagine what it would have been like to face that impossible situation without a choice — the government has no place in a decision this personal. #AbortionIsAWomansRight https://t.co/HXh9WOzmIZ

— Rep. Katie Hill (@RepKatieHill) May 16, 2019

Singer Liam Payne, formerly of the band One Direction, also condemned the Alabama law.

“Men never have to go through that so how can we even comment or decide what women should or shouldn’t go through,” he wrote, tweeting out a composite picture of male Alabama Republican lawmakers that has been shared on social media. “Abortion up to a certain point should always be legal.”

I don’t usually comment on politics but this one got me and is so important#AbortionIsAWomansRight pic.twitter.com/abB3iN8vuN

— Liam (@LiamPayne) May 16, 2019

Julie Cohen, the director of “RBG,” the documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also expressed opposition to the ban, quoting the liberal Supreme Court justice on abortion. 

As usual, look to RBG’s record for relevant words.#WomensReproductiveRights pic.twitter.com/j3TWP4WC3E

— Julie Cohen (@FilmmakerJulie) May 16, 2019

Some supporters of anti-abortion bills also used the hashtags to share their views on the issue. 

“A society may be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable. Right now, #AbortionIsAWomansRight is trending,” wrote Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), tweeting out an anti-abortion video. “How is it that a nation whose founding documents enshrine unalienable God-given rights to all people has denied the right to life to over 60 million Americans?” 

A society may be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable. Right now, #AbortionIsAWomansRight is trending.

How is it that a nation whose founding documents enshrine unalienable God-given rights to all people has denied the right to life to over 60 million Americans? pic.twitter.com/cuZ9byfYui

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) May 16, 2019

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted to say that he believes life, not abortion, is a right. 

Life is a right. In fact, unlike abortion, which is not a right, life is specified directly in the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, and remains the most fundamental right of all. #AbortionIsAWomansRight

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 16, 2019

On Wednesday, Ivey signed a near-total ban on abortion in Alabama, making it the nation’s most restrictive law. The law, which Ivey said is unenforceable, would prohibit abortion in nearly all cases, including rape or incest.

One day later, the GOP-led Missouri Senate early Thursday morning passed a bill to ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy. The bill would only allow the procedure to be performed in cases of medical emergencies, not rape or incest.

The legislation comes alongside a series of “heartbeat” bills that have progressed in state legislatures across the U.S. that would ban abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy. 

Several of the laws appear to be designed to force the Supreme Court to revisit a key part of Roe v. Wade — the landmark ruling that legalized abortion nationwide — that said states can’t place certain restrictions on abortion.