Reproductive Rights Are Human Rights, Says Actors' Equity Association

Actors' Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, has issued the following statement in response to reports that the Supreme Court of the United States is likely to issue a ruling overturning Roe V. Wade:

"Equity is appalled by the news that the federal rights enfranchised by the Supreme Court in 1973 may now be denied. Abortion is a necessary and often life-saving medical procedure that requires safe, legal and open access. This ruling would most acutely affect multiple communities that are already marginalized in America, leaving them to bear the brunt of the disastrous effect of the court's action.

"This is also very much a workers' issue. We stand in solidarity with health care workers, many of whom already risk assault for providing abortions and other reproductive services, and who stand to face more personal and legal danger in the light of this ruling. Furthermore, theatre is an industry in which it is notoriously difficult to support a family, and in which pregnancy discrimination is all too common. Reproductive choice is an indispensable tool in determining one's own fate. Choosing when and how to have a child is not a luxury, it is a human right.

"The repercussions of this decision could be far-reaching. The reasonings applied to overturn Roe v. Wade could be deployed to undo much of the human rights progress of the last several decades, including the very rights for LGBTQ+ people that are already being attacked in states across the country. We support bodily autonomy for all. We stand opposed to any efforts by the Supreme Court, or any other body, to roll back human rights. We stand opposed to oppression. We stand in solidarity."

Actors' Equity Association, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org.

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