Maren Morris is voicing her concern over the June 24 Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe V. Wade, a landmark 1973 decision that federally protected abortion access. The reversal means that states will now be able to restrict or ban abortion at any point during pregnancy.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Morris reflected on her own journey to becoming a parent alongside husband Ryan Hurd.
"I chose to try for a baby at 29. I waited until I was financially secure enough to do so, so my husband and I could provide him with everything he needed. We were lucky and got pregnant three months later," Morris said. "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. Every choice, every decision, a thoughtful one."
Morris shared her heartbreak over the loss of reproductive rights and the impact it will have on women.
"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 in a country who could do this to women. Women, the ones who gave each Supreme Court Justice on the bench the right to be here, the dexterity of their pen hand," Morris continued. "Tomorrow I will fight, but today I am grieving."
Morris is among a few country artists who have spoken out on the ruling. Kelsea Ballerini called the decision "horrifying" in her Instagram stories, Cassadee Pope called the ruling "sickening," adding that she is "heartbroken and angry."
This is sickening. The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban abortion and control our bodies. I am heartbroken and angry. Join me in fighting back: https://t.co/9OVu6t2CzE #BansOffOurBodies @PPact
— Cassadee Pope (@CassadeePope) June 24, 2022
Breland called for both men and women to use their platforms to speak out against the ruling.
"I have had conversations with many women in my life, and their pain is both heartbreaking and valid," Breland wrote. "This is a Civil Rights issue and all signs point toward this decision being the beginning of a set of similar rulings that could also affect the rights of many other communities of Americans."
— Breland (@breland) June 25, 2022
Brandi Carlile shared a message of hope.
"The harrowing and unprecedented decision made by SCOTUS today does not represent the heart and soul of the faces I see everyday in America," Carlile wrote. "The politics and policies don't match the people. We outnumber the oppressors and we are unstoppable when we realize that and vote as a revolutionary body...This can be undone."
Amanda Shires, singer-songwriter, violinist and Carlile's The Highwomen bandmate, has been outspoken about protecting a woman's right to choose. After a draft of the Supreme Court ruling was leaked in May, Shires shared that she had an ectopic pregnancy in 2021. Earlier this month, Shires told Rolling Stone how reproductive healthcare had saved her life.
"I have had reproductive healthcare — that some might call an abortion — when I was hospitalized in Texas on August 9, 2021, with a ruptured fallopian tube caused by an ectopic pregnancy. For those who are unfamiliar, it is impossible for an ectopic pregnancy to go to term. I would have died; my daughter, Mercy, would have lost her mother; my husband, Jason, would be a widower," Shires said. "The majority of people are in favor of women's reproductive rights and health; it's others we're trying to get to. But I think folks forget that access to abortion and reproductive healthcare is not just about terminating unwanted pregnancy. People forget that, if you take away access to reproductive healthcare, you're going to be killing moms like me. I would have died had this procedure not been available to me. Where would that leave my own daughter?"
Shires husband, fellow singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, said the decision ignores the will of the majority of U.S. citizens.
"If you're gonna talk about how divided we are as a nation, you'll want to mention SCOTUS decisions like this one, handing power to state reps in crazy-ass gerrymandered districts and completely ignoring the will of the majority of US citizens," Isbell wrote. "This is not what the people want."
If you?re gonna talk about how divided we are as a nation, you?ll want to mention SCOTUS decisions like this one, handing power to state reps in crazy-ass gerrymandered districts and completely ignoring the will of the majority of US citizens. This is not what the people want.
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) June 24, 2022
