Stars spoke out for abortion rights. It didn’t save Roe v. Wade. What was the point?
Renee Bracey Sherman was 19 when she chose to have an abortion. But it wasn’t until Lil Kim spoke out about having one that Bracey Sherman realized it was an actual possibility for herself.
“I never saw anyone who looked like me talking about abortion politics,” says Bracey Sherman, the founder of We Testify, an advocacy organization dedicated to amplifying people’s abortion stories.
“Seeing someone that I admired and looked up to and had such confidence and power and sexuality and was at the top of their game made me feel like, ‘Oh OK, there are other Black people who have abortions.’ “
Stars have been sharing their abortion stories for years in the hopes of normalizing the process. And after a Supreme Court draft was leaked in May threatening Roe v. Wade, celebrities showed support for abortion rights in droves – but it didn’t stop the court from overturning the landmark decision.
So what was the point?
It’s never been about trying to persuade politicians, Bracey Sherman says.
Instead, she and the We Testify team direct their focus on showing support to people who have had abortions and their communities: That’s where the power of celebrity can come in. While Billie Eilish, Kendall Jenner, Megan Thee Stallion, Olivia Rodrigo and 100+ other stars writing a strongly-worded letter might not change policy, it does send a message to those who have had or are seeking abortions that they aren’t alone.
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The history of celebrities backing political movements is winding and complicated. For decades, major stars refrained from getting political out of fear of getting dropped by their studios, notes Mark Harvey, director of University of St. Mary’s MBA program and the author of “Celebrity Influence: Politics, Persuasion, and Issue-Based Advocacy.”
“That started to change in the 1960s with the rise of The Beatles who became so huge that nobody could do anything without their say,” Harvey says. “So they started advocating by saying things like, ‘We’re not going to play in the South unless it’s an integrated arena.”
With the loosening of entertainment contracts, more big-name stars began to back political causes: Jane Fonda protesting the Vietnam War, Harry Belafonte backing the civil rights movement, Rock Hudson and later Elton John advocating to help those with HIV/AIDS, Bono working against global poverty, Kim Kardashian fighting for prison reform. And myriad stars have shared their abortion stories, including Vanessa Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Cecily Strong, Tami Roman and Phoebe Bridgers.
one-off tweet or statement when it comes to creating meaningful change.
“Working with advocacy organizations, networking with elites, trying to influence masses and doing so on a sustained basis: That’s going to be the most effective way to make something like that work.”
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Especially with hot-button issues such as abortion or gun control, most of the public is set in their beliefs – a celebrity’s opinion isn’t going to sway theirs. But it can help those who need to hear that their experience isn’t an anomaly.
“I do think (celebrities) can, with their leadership and sharing their story, can inspire politicians to be bolder and to fight harder,” Bracey Sherman says. “Our leadership is lacking in this moment. And so I think it’s great when celebrities can step up and shift the conversation and fill the gap in a way that our politicians are not.”
The Lil Kims and Vanessa Williamses and Phoebe Bridgerses of Hollywood have an important role to play. But for change to happen, experts argue, that can’t be where the work stops.
“Visibility has always been important to me,” Bracey Sherman says. “But visibility and representation aren’t enough without power and change.”
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