Billie Eilish on abortion bans: "Men should not make women's choices"

May 19, 2019

Billie Eilish is now the latest of musicians to speak out against the anti-abortion laws passing in several states.

Eilish was honored with the Vanguard Award at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards, and was asked by Variety about her thoughts on the restrictive laws.

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“I have no words for the bitches in the f–king White House,” Eilish began. “It’s so unbelievable. It makes me, like, red. It makes my ears f–ing steam out of my head.”

“Women should say, should do and feel and be exactly what they want,” Eilish continued.
“There should be nobody else telling them how to live their life, how to do s–t. … It just makes me so mad that if I start talking about it, I won’t stop. Men should not make women’s choices — that’s all I have to say.”

She is far from the only artist to come out in opposition to the ban.

Over the weekend, during Hangout Fest in Alabama, which is one of the states with the most restrictive bans, the 1975‘s Matty Healy spoke out about it.

“The reason I’m so angry is because I don’t believe [the ban] is about the preservation of life, I believe it’s about the controlling of women,” says Healy.

Healy continued, saying “you know what else is important? Freedom for women to do with their reproductive organs what they want.”

You can see his entire passionate speech below.

here’s @Truman_Black from @the1975 talking about the abortion ban at @Hangoutfest in Alabama. excuse my shaky hands!! pic.twitter.com/cZQul7XrYP

— Paige Benjamin (@paige_benjamin) May 18, 2019

Also at Hangout Fest, Bishop Briggs and grandson agreed to donate some of their earnings from the event to the Yellowhammer Fund, an organization actively helping people offset abortion costs in the state of Alabama.

Besides all of them, Hayley Williams weighed in on the recent controversy regarding women’s bodily autonomy on Twitter. In a tweet, the Paramore frontwoman calls upon men specifically to direct their attention to the recent changes in the government and lawmaking.

Additionally, Williams makes a comparison to the Hulu show The Handmaid’s Tale, suggesting that some plot points could become a reality if men don’t start supporting women with allyship.

“If you’re a man and you think that The Handmaid’s Tale is a well-crafted show but maybe not the best way for a modern society to operate then it’s a really good time to start speaking out against the current war on women’s bodies/minds,” Williams says in a tweet. “We need your allyship.”

if you’re a man and you think that The Handmaid’s Tale is a well-crafted show but maybe not the best way for a modern society to operate then it’s a really good time to start speaking out against the current war on women’s bodies/minds. we need your allyship.

— hayley from Paramore (@yelyahwilliams) May 15, 2019

While many women have been voicing their opinions on the recent laws and ideologies, so have other members of the scene including blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, SWMRS, Sharptooth, All Time Low‘s Alex Gaskarth and Anti-Flag.

That said, many states have been making stricter laws surrounding the topic of abortion. For example, Georgia’s version of the Heartbeat Bill, which could go into effect as early as 2020 according to The New York Times, would ban abortions once a heartbeat could be detected. Additionally, if doctors in Georgia were to perform an abortion past the estimated six-week threshold, they could face up to 99 years in prison, according to the Washington Post.

Since the start of 2019, other states such as Ohio, Kentucky and Mississippi have passed similar laws.

In the case of Alabama, the state has passed one of the strictest abortion bills in the country. According to The Washington Post, the law bans “virtually all abortions in the state, including for victims of rape and incest.” Additionally, abortions will only be permitted in the state should the mother’s life be at risk. The ban applies to all stages of pregnancy.

What do you think about what Eilish’s statements on abortion laws? Sound off in the comments below!