In the wake of the Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v. Wade and a slate of other recent anti-democratic decisions on everything from gun rights to environmental protections, celebrating the Fourth of July has been the last thing on many people's minds.
Count actor Jessica Chastain among those not feeling the celebratory spirit.
Chastain is best known for being an Oscar-winning movie star, but she's also become well known for her fiery hot takes about political issues.
Her response to the Supreme Court's recent round of astonishing judicial overreach was no exception. For Independence Day, Chastain took to social media with a selfie to issue a pointed message to our government and especially the Court.
Along with a selfie of her flipping not one but both birds, Chastain wrote:
"Happy 'Independence' Day from me and my reproductive rights."
Those scare quotes around "Independence" pretty much said it all.
Chastain's July Fourth post follows a previous Twitter thread she posted discussing the overturn of Roe.
Quoting her own comments in a recent PORTER magazine interview, Chastain urged everyone to seriously consider the importance of abortion rights and what the Roe overturn means for people's rights.
Chastain tweeted:
"I think we need to remind each other what history used to look like for women, because it does feel like that has been forgotten..."
"In some sense, we’ve taken for granted this idea, of being able to live a life free of violence and someone else making decisions about your welfare, your safety…"
Chastain went on to tweet about how the Court's recent decisions will impact human and civil rights, and how she plans to address that in her work.
"This idea of reminding us what it is like when one group loses their rights – it’s a trickle-down effect."
"It affects everyone, and so I think the stories I start looking at will have to deal with that."
On Twitter, many applauded Chastain's pointed message about our country's yearly celebration of ideals it has rarely lived up to.
Chastain has previously credited her career to the reproductive freedoms hard won through Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, both overturned by the Supreme Court's recent ruling. Earlier this year she told the UK's Sunday Times:
"I'm the first person in my family to not be pregnant when I was 17."
"[Planned Parenthood] had a great impact on my life because it gave me choice."
Here's hoping she continues to fight the good fight, because America needs all the help it can get.
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