Meghan Markle: black women 'most impacted' by Roe v. Wade repeal
Actress and political activist Meghan Markle is stepping into the debate on abortion rights in the United States following the repeal of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision last Friday by the U.S. Supreme Court.Â
Commenting on the matter, the Duchess of Sussex said that black women are the ones âmost impactedâ by the decision to repeal the federal law.Â
Contrary to claims made up by activists like Markle and other liberal commentators, the repeal of Roe merely places the responsibility of legislating abortion into the hands of the states.Â
The repeal is expected to impact conservative-run states, many of which already have limitations on how far into a pregnancy an abortion can be carried out.Â
Markle joined with other British politicians, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in condemning the ruling.Â
âWomen are already sharing stories of how their physical safety is being put in danger,â said Markle in an interview with Vogue magazine, GB News reported.Â
âWomen with resources will travel to get an abortion, those without might attempt to give themselves one at tremendous risk,â she added. âWhat does this tell women? It tells us that our physical safety doesnât matter, and as a result that we donât matter. But we do. Women matter.âÂ
âThese issues are systemic, interconnected, and preventable,â Markle continued. âWomen of colour and especially black women are most impacted by these decisions because most of us donât have the same access to health care, economic opportunity, mental health resourcesâŚthe list goes on.âÂ
Markle, who is half-black, seems to imply that the privilege of her marriage to Prince Harry was not enough to outweigh her social disadvantage from her ethnicity.Â
âItâs difficult to overstate what this decision is going to do to these communities.âÂ
Speaking to the magazine, Markle called on men to be âvocal in this moment and beyond,â telling the interviewer that she has discussed the issue with her husband.Â
âMen need to be vocal in this moment and beyond because these are decisions that affect relationships, families, and communities at large,â she said. âThey may target women, but the consequences impact all of us. My husband and I talked about that a lot over the past few days. Heâs a feminist too.âÂ
âHis reaction last week was guttural, like mine. I know that for so many women right now, there is a sentiment of despair,â said Markle. âBut again, we have to band together and not wallow. We have to do the work.âÂ

Ian Miles Cheong
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Ian Miles Cheong is a freelance writer, graphic designer, journalist and videographer. Heâs kind of a big deal on Twitter.
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