Actress Scarlett Johansson designed a new T-shirt to help raise funds for Planned Parenthood’s Action Fund ahead of November’s midterms and is slamming the Supreme Court’s ruling in Hobby Lobby.
“When I heard that some politicians were cheering the Supreme Court’s decision to give bosses the right to interfere in our access to birth control, I thought I had woken up in another decade,” said Johansson in a statement.
Johansson, who has starred in Hollywood hits including Iron Man and Lost in Translation, designed the shirt to help the pro-abortion-rights group’s political arm raise money for its “Women are Watching” campaign.
{mosads}The campaign intends to target candidates who support the high court’s Hobby Lobby ruling. The Supreme Court allowed “closely held” companies with religious objections to opt out of covering birth control for employees under ObamaCare.
While Republicans hailed the decision as a victory for religious freedom, Democrats said it would keep women from making decisions about their own healthcare. Democrats have seized on the ruling to rally women voters ahead of the midterm elections.
The pink T-shirts designed by Johansson read, “Hey Politicians! The 1950s called …” on the front. On the back, the shirts say: “They want their sexism back!” Text on the left sleeve is signed, “Love Scarlett Johansson.”
Democrats believe that access to birth control will be a crucial issue in the coming cycle and have charged Republicans with waging a “war on women” as they fight to retain their Senate majority.
“Women will be the key to the elections this November and it’s more important than ever that young women register to vote and vote for the candidate that will stand up and fight for them,” said Johansson.
Republicans, on the other hand hope, to neutralize the issue, proposing to allow birth control over the counter without a doctor’s prescription.
Johansson isn’t the only star standing with Planned Parenthood.
Actress Gabrielle Union, along with Natasha Lyonne and Selenis Leyva, the stars of the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black,” are set to release their own T-shirts for Planned Parenthood in the next two months.