When it comes to abortion, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki gets personal. When asked how President Joe Biden’s Catholic faith was compatible with his support for the right to abortion, she told a reporter that as a man she could not put himself in the shoes of a pregnant woman. “The president thinks it is the right of every woman to decide for herself. It is your body and therefore your decision. I know that you never had to make that decision and that you were never pregnant, ”she snapped at the representative of a Catholic broadcaster on Thursday.
The 42-year-old Psaki, head of the first all-female press team in the White House since January, is considered a feminist. She has two children with husband Greg Mecher, a political advisor. The debate in the United States was fueled on Wednesday by the Supreme Court's decision to pass a Texas law to tighten abortion regulations. The regulation, one of the toughest in the country, prohibits abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy. At this point in time, many women are unaware that they are pregnant. The so-called Heartbeat Act also stipulates that Texans must carry the child to term even in the event of rape or incest.
Following the decision of the Supreme Court, Hollywood also came forward. Celebrities such as Alyssa Milano, Sean Penn and Alec Baldwin had repeatedly spoken out in recent years against planned tightening of abortion laws in conservative states such as Georgia, Missouri and Utah. "I show my solidarity with the people in Texas who are exposed to the extreme six-week ban on abortion," tweeted the singer Pink on Thursday.
Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, meanwhile, referred to the American constitution on social media, which also guarantees Texans that they can make decisions about their own bodies. "The new Texas abortion ban gives politicians, neighbors and even strangers the right to sue abortion providers," scolded comedian Amy Schumer with the hashtag #BansOffOurBodies. "It is time to fight for reproductive health!"