John Legend Decries Potential Overturning of Roe v. Wade: ‘About to Implement The Handmaid’s Tale into Law’

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

John Legend has spoken out against the Supreme Court’s draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, comparing it to dystopian novel and series The Handmaid’s Tale. 

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the opinion, referring to both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

Legend sat down with The Guardian’s Ammar Kalia the night after JusticeAlito’s draft opinion, which would overturn the constitutional right to

“I can’t watch this shit happen and not say something,” Legend said. “We’re teetering on the brink of not being a full democracy. We’re about to implement The Handmaid’s Tale into law.”

For those unfamiliar, Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale is a futuristic dystopian novel in which “handmaids” are forced to bear children for their assigned “commanders.”

Legend, who has been a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party, went on to say it was an “immense tragedy that we allowed Donald Trump to be president for four years.”

“I felt a strong sense of relief at a new regime with someone who actually cared about the country,” he added. “I was happy that we were turning the page from what I thought was a dark era in American history. But now I still feel incredibly concerned.”

Legend went on to say he is “skeptical” of the United States’ ability to “‘‘kumbaya’ our way to a solution,” adding, “We have to fight at this point, and I’m going to do my part.”