Cecile Richards on How Hollywood Can Fight for Reproductive Rights: ‘This Is a National Health Crisis’
variety.comCynthia Littleton Business EditorCecile Richards, a longtime activist for women’s rights and a former president of Planned Parenthood, has a message for shellshocked women of privilege in Hollywood: Speak out.As the harsh reality of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v.
Wade sinks in, Richards is calling on entertainment industry leaders to share deeply personal stories of how family planning efforts have effected their lives.
Richards, who led Planned Parenthood for a dozen years starting in 2006, asserted that industry insiders have an obligation to use their megaphones to draw attention to the urgency of the situation.“This is a national health crisis,” Richards told Variety. “Like you see people come together for tsunami relief, people need to come together and say ‘This is a crisis and we’re going to fight it.'” There are other urgent needs in what will be a long battle to restore a woman’s right to chose, Richards said, notably raising money and getting more voters to the polls.
But she sees a special role for storytellers in shaping public awareness of what has been lost and what other rights may be under threat, particularly with Justice Clarence Thomas’ reference to cases involving same-sex marriage and access to contraception as decisions that need reviewing in light of Roe being overturned.“It’s important that people share their own experiences,” said Richards, who is now co-chair of the American Bridge 21st Century political action committee. “Not just abortion stories, but how the ability to plan their families made a difference in their lives.
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