Kimberly Elise is being dragged on Twitter today, June 29, for her views on abortion. The backlash comes after she celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade on Instagram, a decision that makes abortion in the United States illegal and inaccessible at a federal level.
The 55-year-old actress, who's appeared in films like Set It Off, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and Dope, posted a GIF with a picture of a baby and a Bible verse. It reads: "For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13-14."
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The GIF also features #teamjesus, 'Victory Belongs To Jesus", and a graphic that reads "Thank You" and a shuffling set of deities: God, Lord, Abba, Adonai, Yahweh. She captioned the GIF with "Millions of babies will be saved from death by abortion due to the overturning of Roe V. Wade. Hallelujah! #allglorybetoGod."
Elise has comments disabled on her page, so her post didn't draw much controversy on Instagram. On Twitter, however, many users were appalled by her views. While a few comments were understanding, they mostly range from disappointed to outraged.
The public outrage against the overturn has been amplified by many artists and public figures, including Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, and Eminem. Kimberly Elise, however, is not the first pop culture figure to speak out against abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision. Sunny Hostin, a host of The View, expressed her views on abortion while also advocating for more restrictive gun laws.
“The court is basically saying it’s time to welcome all this new life yet we can shoot them with our newly available, completely unrestricted guns…It’s unbelievable that precedent doesn’t seem to matter anymore.”
“I don’t believe in abortion, at any time. I don’t believe in any exception to it,” she continued. “That’s considered very radical for many people, and it’s because I’m Catholic and that’s my faith. And, you know, the justices– there are six Catholics on the bench, and there will be two Protestants because the newest justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, is Protestant and there will be one person of Jewish faith. And so this has always been a very difficult decision for me.”
She also added, “But what is not difficult for me is the fact that this is an activist Supreme Court and they should not be deciding the law based on their faith. And even though I agree with [Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito] on the sanctity of life…but the fact that he clearly is using his religion and wielding it is pretty terrible.”
Many have made a distinction between personal belief and political justice in this debate. Given their controversial views, Hostin's self-awareness and Elise's lack thereof have made for an interesting contrast on the Internet.
You can check out some more Twitter reactions to Kimberly Elise's views below.