Former Planned Parenthood Director Slams Billie Eilish Over Texas Abortion Protest
Anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson has criticized the singer Billie Eilish's condemnation of Texas' new restrictive law on terminations.
Johnson, who was once a director at Planned Parenthood before she started campaigning against abortion, was responding to comments the star made on stage at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 2.
Eilish, 19, told fans that she was on the verge of canceling her show in protest at the law in the Lone Star State prohibiting abortion when there is a fetal heartbeat, effectively banning the procedure for women who are more than six weeks' pregnant.
"I almost didn't want to do the show, because I wanted to punish this f***ing place for allowing that to happen here," Eilish said before raising her middle finger in the air and reportedly yelling: "My body, my f***ing choice." On the screen behind the singer flashed the words "bans off our bodies"
But Johnson, a Texan who leads the group "And Then There Were None," responded on her Facebook page with an image of the singer captioned with her comments.
"News Flash: If it has a separate heartbeat and DNA than you, it's NOT. YOUR. BODY!" Johnson's message said.
Eilish has previously condemned the Texas law which came into effect on September 1. Last month, she wrote on Instagram Stories how it "makes me sick how many men say nothing when it comes to women's rights."
"If you and your 'homies' or bros' aren't talking about the abortion laws in Texas, chances are you're part of a problem," she added.
It comes amid an increasingly bitter debate and complicated legal wrangle over the most restrictive abortion law in the country known as Senate Bill 8 (SB8).
On Friday, a federal appeals court allowed Texas to temporarily resume banning most abortions, two days after U.S. district judge Robert Pitman had issued an order suspending the Texas law.
Abortion providers in Texas had been expecting the decision by the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals, often considered the most conservative in the country.
The court issued a temporary stay of Pitman's preliminary injunction to consider a request for a longer-term stay. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has until Tuesday to respond.
Anti-abortion advocates hailed Friday's decision which followed a motion filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton who tweeted, "I will fight federal overreach at every turn."
In a separate Facebook post, Johnson expressed her happiness at the decision, writing "heartbeat bill is back in effect in Texas!
"It was only down for one day and most abortion providers in the state didn't even open their abortion services back up! Activist judges are not going to win this battle!" she added.
But pro-abortion advocates condemned the decision. Adriana Piñon, an attorney at the ACLU of Texas said in a statement that "The Fifth Circuit has failed again to preserve a critical right that has long existed in the United States," The Hill reported.
