John Legend.Photo: Kevin Mazur/GettyJohn Legendis taking a stand in support of reproductive rights.In a new interview withThe Guardianpublished Monday, the 43-year-old “All of Me” singer shared his thoughts on the recently leaked opinion draft indicatingmost SCOTUS justices are expected to vote to overturnRoe v. Wade, which guarantees the right to abortion, next month.News of the likely vote broke the night before Legend’s discussion with the outlet, which led the musician to feel compelled to speak out. “I can’t watch this s— happen and not say something,” he toldThe Guardian. “We’re teetering on the brink of not being a full democracy. We’re about to implementThe Handmaid’s Taleinto law.“He went on to explain that prior toPresident Joe Biden’stime in office, he was looking forward to the then-candidate’s promises to protect human rights. But as time’s gone on, Legend finds it more difficult to hold out hope for change.“As someone who thought it was an immense tragedy that we allowedDonald Trumpto be president for four years, I felt a strong sense of relief at a new regime with someone who actually cared about the country,” said the performer. “I was happy that we were turning the page from what I thought was a dark era in American history. But now I still feel incredibly concerned.“Despite using his platform to speak on social issues he’s passionate about, Legend knows he’s not going to single-handedly alter the course of the United States, especially as the country’s political state becomes more divided.“It feels hard to enact change right now,” he said. “I do believe human beings generally want to do the right thing but the conservative movement is not interested in concessions or compromise. They’re interested in full power and full authoritarianism.“Going forward, he’s prepared to continuously speak out in support of the right to abortion. “I’m skeptical of the ability to ‘kumbaya’ our way to a solution,” Legend told the outlet. “We have to fight at this point, and I’m going to do my part.“The musician — who shares two kids,Luna and Miles, with wifeChrissy Teigen— joins a growing list of A-listers who’ve publicly advocated forRoe v. Wadeto remain intact. Last week, a group of nearly 160 young singers, actors, artists and influencers includingAriana Grandeand Hailey Baldwin Bieber signeda full-page Planned Parenthood #BansOffOurBodies ad published inThe New York Timesto condemn the decision to overturnRoe.The large group includes Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish,Kendall Jenner,Selena Gomez, Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion, Shawn Mendes,Camila Cabello,Demi Lovato, Halsey, Hailey Baldwin Bieber, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch, Karlie Kloss, Ariana DeBose, Madelyn Cline, Hailee Steinfeld, Dove Cameron, FINNEAS, Hayley Kiyoko, Madison Beer, Phoebe Bridgers, Joey King, Peyton List, Lauren Jauregui, Jenna Ortega, Storm Reid, Tinashe, Meghan Trainor, Tommy Dorfman, Melanie Martinez, Liza Koshy, Maia Mitchell and more than 100 more.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.The ad is part of Planned Parenthood’s#BansOffOurBodies campaign, which declares that “our bodies are our own — if they are not, we cannot be truly free or equal.” By signing on, the 150-plus artists are declaring their support for abortion rights and urging their fans to join them.As part of the campaign, Planned Parenthood organized a May 14 Bans Off Our Bodies Day of Action of protests across the country in support of abortion rights.
John Legend.Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty
John Legendis taking a stand in support of reproductive rights.In a new interview withThe Guardianpublished Monday, the 43-year-old “All of Me” singer shared his thoughts on the recently leaked opinion draft indicatingmost SCOTUS justices are expected to vote to overturnRoe v. Wade, which guarantees the right to abortion, next month.News of the likely vote broke the night before Legend’s discussion with the outlet, which led the musician to feel compelled to speak out. “I can’t watch this s— happen and not say something,” he toldThe Guardian. “We’re teetering on the brink of not being a full democracy. We’re about to implementThe Handmaid’s Taleinto law.“He went on to explain that prior toPresident Joe Biden’stime in office, he was looking forward to the then-candidate’s promises to protect human rights. But as time’s gone on, Legend finds it more difficult to hold out hope for change.“As someone who thought it was an immense tragedy that we allowedDonald Trumpto be president for four years, I felt a strong sense of relief at a new regime with someone who actually cared about the country,” said the performer. “I was happy that we were turning the page from what I thought was a dark era in American history. But now I still feel incredibly concerned.“Despite using his platform to speak on social issues he’s passionate about, Legend knows he’s not going to single-handedly alter the course of the United States, especially as the country’s political state becomes more divided.“It feels hard to enact change right now,” he said. “I do believe human beings generally want to do the right thing but the conservative movement is not interested in concessions or compromise. They’re interested in full power and full authoritarianism.“Going forward, he’s prepared to continuously speak out in support of the right to abortion. “I’m skeptical of the ability to ‘kumbaya’ our way to a solution,” Legend told the outlet. “We have to fight at this point, and I’m going to do my part.“The musician — who shares two kids,Luna and Miles, with wifeChrissy Teigen— joins a growing list of A-listers who’ve publicly advocated forRoe v. Wadeto remain intact. Last week, a group of nearly 160 young singers, actors, artists and influencers includingAriana Grandeand Hailey Baldwin Bieber signeda full-page Planned Parenthood #BansOffOurBodies ad published inThe New York Timesto condemn the decision to overturnRoe.The large group includes Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish,Kendall Jenner,Selena Gomez, Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion, Shawn Mendes,Camila Cabello,Demi Lovato, Halsey, Hailey Baldwin Bieber, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch, Karlie Kloss, Ariana DeBose, Madelyn Cline, Hailee Steinfeld, Dove Cameron, FINNEAS, Hayley Kiyoko, Madison Beer, Phoebe Bridgers, Joey King, Peyton List, Lauren Jauregui, Jenna Ortega, Storm Reid, Tinashe, Meghan Trainor, Tommy Dorfman, Melanie Martinez, Liza Koshy, Maia Mitchell and more than 100 more.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.The ad is part of Planned Parenthood’s#BansOffOurBodies campaign, which declares that “our bodies are our own — if they are not, we cannot be truly free or equal.” By signing on, the 150-plus artists are declaring their support for abortion rights and urging their fans to join them.As part of the campaign, Planned Parenthood organized a May 14 Bans Off Our Bodies Day of Action of protests across the country in support of abortion rights.
John Legendis taking a stand in support of reproductive rights.
In a new interview withThe Guardianpublished Monday, the 43-year-old “All of Me” singer shared his thoughts on the recently leaked opinion draft indicatingmost SCOTUS justices are expected to vote to overturnRoe v. Wade, which guarantees the right to abortion, next month.
News of the likely vote broke the night before Legend’s discussion with the outlet, which led the musician to feel compelled to speak out. “I can’t watch this s— happen and not say something,” he toldThe Guardian. “We’re teetering on the brink of not being a full democracy. We’re about to implementThe Handmaid’s Taleinto law.”
He went on to explain that prior toPresident Joe Biden’stime in office, he was looking forward to the then-candidate’s promises to protect human rights. But as time’s gone on, Legend finds it more difficult to hold out hope for change.
“As someone who thought it was an immense tragedy that we allowedDonald Trumpto be president for four years, I felt a strong sense of relief at a new regime with someone who actually cared about the country,” said the performer. “I was happy that we were turning the page from what I thought was a dark era in American history. But now I still feel incredibly concerned.”
Despite using his platform to speak on social issues he’s passionate about, Legend knows he’s not going to single-handedly alter the course of the United States, especially as the country’s political state becomes more divided.
“It feels hard to enact change right now,” he said. “I do believe human beings generally want to do the right thing but the conservative movement is not interested in concessions or compromise. They’re interested in full power and full authoritarianism.”
Going forward, he’s prepared to continuously speak out in support of the right to abortion. “I’m skeptical of the ability to ‘kumbaya’ our way to a solution,” Legend told the outlet. “We have to fight at this point, and I’m going to do my part.”
The musician — who shares two kids,Luna and Miles, with wifeChrissy Teigen— joins a growing list of A-listers who’ve publicly advocated forRoe v. Wadeto remain intact. Last week, a group of nearly 160 young singers, actors, artists and influencers includingAriana Grandeand Hailey Baldwin Bieber signeda full-page Planned Parenthood #BansOffOurBodies ad published inThe New York Timesto condemn the decision to overturnRoe.
The large group includes Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish,Kendall Jenner,Selena Gomez, Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion, Shawn Mendes,Camila Cabello,Demi Lovato, Halsey, Hailey Baldwin Bieber, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch, Karlie Kloss, Ariana DeBose, Madelyn Cline, Hailee Steinfeld, Dove Cameron, FINNEAS, Hayley Kiyoko, Madison Beer, Phoebe Bridgers, Joey King, Peyton List, Lauren Jauregui, Jenna Ortega, Storm Reid, Tinashe, Meghan Trainor, Tommy Dorfman, Melanie Martinez, Liza Koshy, Maia Mitchell and more than 100 more.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
The ad is part of Planned Parenthood’s#BansOffOurBodies campaign, which declares that “our bodies are our own — if they are not, we cannot be truly free or equal.” By signing on, the 150-plus artists are declaring their support for abortion rights and urging their fans to join them.
As part of the campaign, Planned Parenthood organized a May 14 Bans Off Our Bodies Day of Action of protests across the country in support of abortion rights.
source: people.com
