"It is devastating to live in a country where your personhood is not given the same treatment as others."
Last month's overturning of the the Roe v Wade landmark law that gave women the right to abortion care by the US Supreme Court has caused anger, shock and sadness among other emotions for many. For Natalie Portman, "frustration" and a feeling of "devastation" can be added to the list.
Speaking to Glamour magazine, the Oscar winner shared her thoughts on the move that's expected to strip over half of US women of their right to choose as a result of the law change. The 41-year-old actress and director said:
"The recent Supreme Court decision that has taken away women's right to make their own decisions about their healthcare, because abortion is healthcare. It is devastating to live in a country where your personhood is not given the same treatment as others. That's been the most blatant infuriating example of just feeling like you live in a country that doesn't value you and your agency and your autonomy in any way.”
The Black Swan actress also spoke about her role as scientist Doctor Jane Foster in Marvel’s, Thor: Love And Thunder and how she hopes that it helps to give the right message to her son, Aleph and daughter, Amalia.
She said: “I definitely feel that I want to create a world for my kids that treat all genders with their full dignity, autonomy and value in the many versions of what that means for choice and for equity in all kinds of expressions of it.”
She also pointed to the Roe v Wade ruling when stating that her daughter has "fewer rights" in a "very legal way" than she did growing up. Despite this, she's hopeful that the world of entertainment has improved over the years to show "them that they have the full range of possibility for who they want to be, who they want to love.”
Natalie, who is married to French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, has never shied away from voicing her opinions and support for causes. At the 2022 Academy Awards, she wore an embroidered Dior cape with the names of unnominated female directors, including Greta Gerwig, in a nod to the all-male nominations.
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