Originally published: May 4, 2022

Hashtags like #bansoffourbodies #abortionishealthcare #abortionrights” are all over social media. The news about the Supreme Court draft to overturn Roe vs. Wade spread like wildfire across America. While there is a war going on in Europe, America is about to bomb itself back into the dark ages. And many Hollywood celebrities and industry insiders are not staying quiet on an issue they thought was finally settled 50 years ago. Some of them marched then, like Jane Fonda, and all of them remember the protests, the grassroots movements, and the campaigning. Women’s Rights activists like Gloria Steinem – herself the subject of movies and TV-Series like The Glorias and Mrs. America told CNN today “that making decisions about our own physical selves is the basis of democracy”

Whoopi Goldberg spoke out on “The View”, saying that “getting an abortion is not easy. Making that decision is not easy. It’s not something people do lightly. If you don’t have the wherewithal to understand that … then you’re not looking out for me as a human being … and that is not okay.”

Others who had every reason to believe the right to choose was their mothers’ and grandmothers’ fight, now mobilize anew.

Talkshow host and actress Busy Philipps who told her story about having an abortion at 15, launched an online campaign with the hashtag #YouKnowMe where she encourages women and girls to speak up about their own experiences: “There is an attack on women happening in this country right now. I won’t be silent, and I have no shame about my personal choice. I am 1 in 4. #youknowme ❤️ I know there is power in sharing our stories. I know it.” The likes on her Instagram post are rapidly climbing.

It is not just women: men and even whole companies that stand with them.

In a memo just released by Jeremy Zimmer, CEO of UTA, the head of the agency vowed to cover expenses for female employees who need access to abortion:

“As threats against women’s reproductive rights grow, we’re introducing an important new benefit. Going forward, UTA will reimburse our colleagues for travel expenses related to receiving women’s reproductive health services that are not accessible in their state of residence. We’re doing this to support the right to choose that has been a bedrock of settled law for almost half a century. Several states have already introduced restrictive legislation, and the draft Supreme Court ruling leaked yesterday, if it comes to pass, could make abortion illegal in more than half of the country. UTA has a long history of giving generously through our Foundation to organizations that support women’s reproductive health care, which we will continue to prioritize. 

Actors Mark Ruffalo, George Takei, Josh Gad, and many others also voiced their support.

“Make no mistake. A majority in this country are angry tonight”, tweeted Gad. “Not a small majority. A giant majority. I am seeing that rage. I am hearing that rage. I am feeling that rage.