Sophia Michaels
On Monday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel ramped up for midterm elections. The host took on former President Donald Trump, Dr. Oz, and Herschel Walker all in the opening monologue. Yet the highlight of the night went to Kimmel’s wife and the show’s co-head writer, Molly McNearney, who literally sounded the alarm in support of abortion rights.
McNearney took to the stage halfway into Kimmel’s usual monologue, carrying a flashing red light, and addressed the audience: “Tomorrow is election day, and abortion rights are gone or endangered in 26 states, even thought the majority of people in this country supports a woman’s right to choose.”
After a round of applause, McNearney continued, opting for facts over banter and jokes. “92 percent of abortions happen in the first 13 weeks,” she stated. “Roughly half the women who have abortions live below the poverty line.”
“The only person who should be making a life-altering, potentially life-saving decision for a woman and her body is the woman herself. I’m not here with this dumb alarm asking you guys to love abortion,” McNearney said. “I’m asking you to love women enough to trust women enough to make their own difficult decisions and to vote for the people who will make that happen tomorrow. Our daughters should not have to fight the battles that our grandmothers won.”
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade returned the decision of abortion back to the states – making the midterm elections critical in who has control of the laws and policies that regulate the procedure.
