“Refuse to have sex with men”: Bette Midler’s response to new Texas law
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bette Midler has advised women to not have sex with men following the recent introduction of strict abortion laws in the US state of Texas.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Midlers’ stern statement comes as the new law renders abortions “illegal” after six weeks.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I suggest that all women refuse to have sex with men until they are guaranteed the right to choose by Congress,” Midler tweeted.</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr">I suggest that all women refuse to have sex with men until they are guaranteed the right to choose by Congress.</p>
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) <a href="https://twitter.com/BetteMidler/status/1433626916003586053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">High profile stars shared their praise for Midler’s stance, with singer Nancy Sinatra, Frank Sinatra’s daughter, replying “my dad actually suggested that decades ago”.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Midler continued to speak about the issue, writing, “this isn’t about guns, speech, money or war. It’s about women, their lives, their bodies, and their autonomy.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“That’s what allowed the court to do shoddy work, with careless disregard, because who’s going to stop it? They only did the thing in the dead of night, without care or effort, because they believe women are so used to being gaslit that of course, they’ll just tolerate it,” she said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They did the thing in the dead of night, without care or effort because they genuinely believe that they’re only women, and they deserve what they get.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The new law, known as SB8, prohibits abortions beyond the point where medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, which usually occurs at around six weeks, before some women know they’re pregnant.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The law also does not make exceptions for those who are pregnant as a result of incest or rape.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Private citizens are allowed to sue abortion clinics if they suspect them of performing illegal abortions under the new law.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many celebrities have spoken out against the bill, with singer P!nk writing, “I stand in solidarity with people in (Texas) who, as of today, face an extreme 6-week abortion ban”.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The ban… will be the blueprint for bans across the US. Unless we do something about it,” she added.</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Desperate Housewives</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> star Eva Longoria Baston wrote: “It’s pretty simple. We should all be able to make decisions about our health & future.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But between (Texas’) extreme abortion ban & states passing a record number of abortion restrictions this year, we have to fight for everyone’s reproductive freedom.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The outcry from Midler and other celebrities comes as the US Justice Department sues Texas over the new law, arguing the law was enacted “in open defiance of the Constitution”.</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty</span></em></p>
