As the 2022 BET Awards celebrated the success and power of Black entertainers on Sunday night (June 26), there was an air of sadness in the room as the ceremony took place two days after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that protected a woman’s right to have an abortion.
States can now dictate whether a woman can have an abortion – and it’s expected that the medical procedure will be illegal in at least 16 states moving forward. At least 21 states have laws or constitutional amendments already in place in an attempt to ban abortions, according to CNN.
The vote was 5-4 in favor of overturning Roe. “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion. “Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”
Upon taking the stage at the BET Awards, a number of stars shared their disgust and thoughts on the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“It’s a sad day in America. A weapon that can take lives has more rights than a woman that can give life — if she wants to,” Taraji P. Henson, the night’s host, told the crowd upon opening the awards ceremony with her monologue.
See below for thoughts from Janelle Monáe, Jazmine Sullivan, and more during the annual show, which aired live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
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Tagged: Awards, BET Awards, entertainment blog, music, music blog, Politics