America Ferrera, 37, appeared on the Friday September 10 episode of The View, where she explained who would be the victims of Texas’ new abortion law. The Superstore actress explained that women of color would be some of the people who suffer the most under the state’s new legislation. America explained how much harder it would be for Black and brown women to receive proper reproductive healthcare.
The new Texas law, setting different regulations on abortion, went into effect on September 1. Most notably, it banned abortions for women who are over six weeks pregnant. Celebrities and activists were angry not only at Texas legislators, but also the Supreme Court, which eventually let the law pass. Many saw the law’s passage as a threat against the landmark SCOTUS decision in Roe v. Wade. When asked by guest co-host (and View alum) Star Jones how she feels about the law, America said that she was “deeply concerned, as we all should be.”
America warned that the new law in Texas could lead to other states creating similar laws. “What’s happening in Texas is setting precedent and impacting the nation,” she said, before explaining who would be hit the hardest by the law. “Let’s just call it what it is: access to abortion is about race and poverty. If you are rich and white, chances are you will find access to the healthcare that you need. When we restrict women’s rights and access to make choices about their reproductive health, what we are doing is restricting Black and brown women and poor women.”
When View host Joy Behar mentioned that wealthy women of color would likely still be able to access abortions, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actress mentioned that the wage gap usually prevents women of color from the proper reproductive healthcare. “If you’re Black and brown, you have less access to healthcare,” she said. “We’re not just talking about the awful restrictions on a women’s right to choose what to do with her own body. We’re talking about financial oppression. We’re talking about the systemic kind of oppression that keeps women of color where a lot of people like them: poor and out of options.”
Before the subject changed to America’s Poderista’s summit, Star also mentioned that the wage gap was a serious issue that also needed to be addressed. “It’s not like we pay women of color a fair wage anyway. So, no matter what happens anyway, you’re going to start behind the 8-ball, 30 cents less than a man is going to make. So, let’s start with that,” she said.