Maren Morris Speaks Out on Roe V. Wade Reversal: ‘Today I Am Grieving’
Maren Morris is opening up about her grief and outrage surrounding a Friday morning (June 24) 6-3 ruling from the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision from 1973 that offered federal protection to abortion access. In light of Friday's decision, states will be able to restrict or ban abortion at any point during pregnancy.
In a statement provided to Rolling Stone, Morris responded to the decision by chronicling her own pregnancy and parenthood journey, explaining that she and her fellow artist husband Ryan Hurd meticulously planned for her pregnancy and for their now-2-year-old son Hayes' arrival.
"As mothers do, I really tried to think of every detail I could before he came into this world to keep him safe; pediatrician, hospital, crib, nursery sound machine, even future school he would someday go to," she explains. "Every choice, every decision, a thoughtful one."
But in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal, Morris continues, she feels heartsick not only for the millions of people who will lose reproductive rights, but also for the kind of world that her son will grow up to inhabit.
"Today, I hold my two year old son with tears streaming down my face because all my love and planning still wasn't enough to protect him from being born into a country who could do this to women," the singer says.
Morris concluded her statement by saying that she plans to do her part to fight back against the Supreme Court decision. "Tomorrow I will fight, but today I am grieving," she says.
Morris is one of a small handful of country stars who reacted to the Supreme Court decision on social media: She retweeted several messages denouncing the reversal and also tweeted "Alexa, play Loretta Lynn's [song celebrating access to birth control] 'The Pill.'" She also retweeted a message commenting on the lack of response to the decision from country music's male stars, adding, "Guess we're just here to raise your babies to not grow up to be cowboys."
Kelsea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves both condemned the decision in Instagram Story slides, while Cassadee Pope described the news as "sickening" in a tweet, also sharing information for those protesting in Tennessee. Brandi Carlile — who is a member of The Highwomen alongside Morris — denounced the Roe v. Wade reversal as "harrowing," but also shared a message of hope, writing "This can be undone."
Another Highwoman, Amanda Shires, also expressed her support for abortion access. Earlier in June, she shared her story of suffering an ectopic pregnancy, explaining that she received an abortion as lifesaving treatment during that event. "People forget that, if you take away access to reproductive health care, you're going to be killing moms like me. I would have died had this procedure not been available to me," Shires noted. "Where would that leave my own daughter?"
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