Megan Rapinoe, a US international footballer who has been a vocal advocate for human rights, has called the US Supreme Court’s abortion decision “sad and cruel.”
Following the court’s removal of constitutional protection for those seeking abortions, protests are currently taking place in the US.
The Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v Wade decision, which is likely to result in abortion bans in roughly half of the United States.
Rapinoe was among those to speak out against the ruling on Friday.
She said: “It’s hard to put into words how sad a day this is for me personally, for my team-mates, for all of the people who are out there who this is going to affect.
“It will completely exacerbate so many of the existing inequalities that we have in our country. It doesn’t keep one single person safer, it doesn’t keep one single child safer, certainly, and it does not keep women safer.
“We know that the lack of abortion does not stop people having abortions, it stops people from having safe abortions.
“I would encourage people to understand all of the different aspects that overturning Roe v Wade will have on everyone in the entire country.
“I just can’t understate how sad and how cruel this is.”
