Meghan, the duchess of Sussex, says the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade sends a message to women that they “don’t matter.”
The former “Suits” actor spoke out about last week’s ruling, which overturned the landmark 1973 decision that had granted a constitutional right to an abortion, in a Vogue article published Tuesday.
“This is having a very real impact on women’s bodies and lives starting now. Women are already sharing stories of how their physical safety is being put in danger,” Meghan said.
“Women with resources will travel to get an abortion, those without might attempt to give themselves one at tremendous risk. Some will have to source abortion pills from unregulated pharmacies. Others who are pregnant and find themselves in a medical emergency will be at the mercy of doctors and lawyers to determine if a procedure that is needed to save her life can even be done at all,” the 40-year-old mother of two said in a conversation with famed feminist Gloria Steinem and journalist Jessica Yellin.
“What does this tell women? It tells us that our physical safety doesn’t matter, and as a result that we don’t matter. But we do. Women matter,” Meghan said.
In a concurrent opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas called on the Supreme Court to reconsider landmark cases protecting LGBTQ rights and access to contraceptives.
Meghan called Thomas’s opinion a “blueprint for reversing rights.”
“The ruling is a signal about the future of same-sex marriage, contraception access, and many fundamental rights to privacy,” she said.
“It feels like the tip of the iceberg and is part of why people feel so scared.”
Urging abortion rights supporters to “channel that fear into action,” Meghan said, “We can start this November in the midterms.”
“I know hearing that feels so repetitive, but we have to vote, every time, from local elections to state and national elections.”
While members of the British royal family are expected to maintain political neutrality, Meghan and husband Prince Harry stepped away from their official duties as full-time working members and moved to Los Angeles in 2020.
Since then, Meghan has weighed in on political issues, personally calling lawmakers and publishing an open letter to congressional leaders advocating for paid family leave.
Meghan, who was born in California, said she next might head to the nation’s capital to pressure Congress and the White House to enact the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which if added to the Constitution would provide equal protection under the law by banning discrimination on the basis of sex.
“Well, Gloria, maybe it seems as though you and I will be taking a trip to D.C. together soon,” Meghan told Steinem during a discussion about the ERA.
In her conversation in Vogue, Meghan also encouraged men to get involved following Roe v. Wade’s reversal.
“Men need to be vocal in this moment and beyond because these are decisions that affect relationships, families, and communities at large. They may target women, but the consequences impact all of us,” she said.
“My husband and I talked about that a lot over the past few days,” Meghan said of Harry. “He’s a feminist too.”