Following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday, US Soccer captain Megan Rapinoe is urging American males to “stand up” and stop the “violent and persistent onslaught on the autonomy of women’s bodies.”
The tearful Rapinoe blamed American men and the US power structure in her speech prior to Saturday’s friendly match with Colombia while fighting back the tears.
As recounted by Yahoo! Sports’ Henry Bushnell, she told reporters, “We definitely cannot achieve this on our own, given the composition of the power structure in our nation.” “And honestly, that’s on you.”
She characterized the decision as an effort by the US government to propagate a worldview that is “deeply entrenched in white supremacist, patriarchal Christianity.”
She remarked, “I really can’t understate how terrible and how cruel this is.” Because this is in no way pro-life, “I think the cruelty is the goal,”
The country’s 50-year-old constitutional protections for abortions were repealed by the Supreme Court on Friday.
In conservative-leaning states, where several already have trigger laws in place that will take effect in the upcoming days and weeks, the ruling is anticipated to result in a flurry of abortion prohibitions.
Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, who were appointed to the Supreme Court by former President Donald Trump, helped to contribute to the 6-3 ruling.
Rapinoe, a vocal supporter of LGBTQ and women’s rights, claims that men have enjoyed luxury in the US while letting women bear the brunt of the struggle against abortion restrictions.
Rapinoe remarked, “I shouldn’t be the biggest voice in the room. The loudest voice in the room shouldn’t be a woman’s. Allegiance looks like this. Honestly, this is what acting morally looks like.
Without men, “none of these laws, none of the gender rights inequality, none of this assault on abortion rights, none of this would be occurring,” she said.
“We did not carry this out on our own. I would interpret what I’m saying as an accusation, a call to repentance, or a “look in the mirror, you are complicit in all of this,” and I would take it personally.
Rapinoe emphasized that the majority of the women who would be affected by this decision are those who were already in danger for a variety of reasons.
We are aware that this will disproportionately affect poor women, black women, brown women, immigrants, women in abusive relationships, women who have been sexually assaulted, and women and girls who have been sexually assaulted by members of their own family who, you know what, maybe just didn’t make the best choice, she said.
And there’s no justification for being coerced to become pregnant, she added. It will severely exacerbate many of the disparities that already exist in our nation.
Not a single individual is made safer by it. Undoubtedly, it does not keep even one child safer. And it does not make any women safer, to use the inclusive word.
We are aware that restrictions on abortion rights do not prevent people from obtaining abortions; rather, they prevent them from getting safe abortions.
Rapinoe’s remarks follow her support of transgender athletes participation in women’s sports, a contentious issue that some claim jeopardizes the future of women’s athletics.
On Friday, she wasn’t the only athlete coming out against Roe v. Wade.
Sue Bird, Rapinoe’s teammate in the WNBA, also issued a statement.
The WNBA statement began, “This judgment demonstrates a branch of government that is so out of touch with the country and any sense of human dignity.” Then, it urged Americans to cast ballots.
We must understand that voting is a means of electing representatives who will uphold our ideals through laws and policies.