Megan Rapinoe has blasted the decision to overturn Roe v Wade - the ruling that protects a women's right to abortion - as "sad and cruel", with the USWNT star roundly blasting the U.S. Supreme Court.
The nine-body panel - the highest legal court in the United States - ruled 5-4 in the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization case on Friday, effectively overriding the prior case that has safeguarded women's rights for half-a-century.
With more than half of the country's states expected to swiftly impose bans upon abortion in the coming weeks, the move has been met with widespread condemnation and anger - and Rapinoe, a frequent spokesperson on civil rights within the USWNT set-up, did not hold back in her assessment of the seismic decision.
What has Rapinoe said on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision?
"It's hard to put into words how sad a day this is for me personally, for my team-mates, for just all of the people out there who this is going to affect," Rapinoe stated during an impassioned press conference. "I say this all the time - pro-choice means you get to choose.
"Pro-choice allows other people to be pro-life if that is what works for them, or that is what their beliefs are, or if that is where they are at in their life. Pro-life doesn't allow anybody to make a choice. I would encourage people to understand all of the different aspects that overturning Roe vs. Wade will have on so many - in fact, everyone in the country.
"I just can't understate how sad and cruel it is, because this is not pro-life by any means. This way of thinking, or political belief, is coupled with a complete lack of motivation around gun laws, it comes with pro-death penalty, it comes with anti-healthcare, anti-prenatal care, anti-childcare, anti-pre-K, anti-food assistance, anti-welfare, anti-education, anti-maternity leave, anti-paternity leave."
What else has Rapinoe said about the U.S. Supreme Court?
Rapinoe further expressed her frustration that the right to abortion was even something up for debate, highlighting that the U.S. Supreme Court - with its two-to-one male-to-female ratio - is unqualified to make such a call too.
"There are an infinite amount of reasons why a woman chooses to do what she does with her body, or what they do with their body, none of which are anybody else's business," she added. "The makeup of the court is ill-equipped to handle this kind of decision.
"Frankly, a male-majority court making decisions about my body or any other woman's body is completely misguided and wildly out of touch with the desires of the country, the will of the country and the will of the people. I think [they're] acting incredibly irresponsibly and inappropriately."
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