Enlarge image
Megan Rapinoe
Photo: Steve Luciano/AP
Led by a horrified Megan Rapinoe, American and international athletes have spoken out about the Supreme Court's abolition of abortion rights.
"I wish we could talk about football today," said the 36-year-old US soccer player during a national team press conference.
"It's hard to put into words how sad this day is for me and my fellow players," she said, her voice choking at times and on the verge of tears. "The cruelty is the point, because it's in no way pro-life.
I have zero confidence that my rights will be upheld in court.«
The US Supreme Court has overturned the nationwide right to abortion.
The 1973 decision »Roe v.
Wade« made it possible for women to have abortions up to about the 24th week of pregnancy.
This has now been rejected by the Supreme Court, and the individual US states are now making their own decisions.
Rapinoe is committed to fighting for human rights, last year she and 499 other US athletes signed a letter in support of the right to abortion.
Now the Olympic champion fears the consequences of the new verdict.
"It's going to exacerbate so many of the existing inequalities in our country," she said.
The decision does not make “a single child safer, certainly not.
And it doesn't make a single woman safer, not even in terms of pregnancy.«
At the end of her almost nine-minute speech, Rapinoe appealed to everyone's "compassion" and "humanity": Everyone should understand, she emphasized, "that just because I believe in something doesn't mean that everyone else has to do the same".
Basketball superstar LeBron James: "It's about power and control"
Tennis player Coco Gauff was also disappointed.
"It feels like history is repeating itself," said the 18-year-old French Open finalist before the tennis highlight in Wimbledon.
"I continue to encourage people to raise their voices and not feel discouraged because we can definitely achieve change and hopefully that will happen." The 22-year-old superstar Serena Williams wanted to address the topic before the start of the lawn classic however, do not comment.
Basketball superstar LeBron James shared some comments on Twitter about the decision and its impact on black women.
The Los Angeles Lakers pro commented, "It's absolutely about power and control." The league bosses of the men's and women's NBA released a joint statement.
Women should make their own decisions about their health and future.
Freedom should be protected, they demanded.
The Formula 1 record world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is politically active in the fight for human rights and against oppression, was "disgusted" by the verdict.
"This decision will be made by the weakest among us," emphasized the 37-year-old Briton.
ara/sid/dpa