A Republican Slipped Up On Roe v. Wade & Called It A Win For 'White Life' At A Trump Rally
A Republican lawmaker is getting absolutely torn apart by abortion-rights supporters on social media, after she slipped up and described the end of Roe v. Wade as a win for "white life."
Rep. Mary Miller, a Republican from Illinois, made the apparent mistake while speaking at a rally with former President Donald Trump this weekend. She was discussing the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to revoke the guaranteed right to an abortion, which came Friday thanks to votes from three Trump-appointed justices.
"President Trump, on behalf of all the MAGA patriots in America, I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday," Miller said to the crowd as it erupted into applause.
A spokesperson for Miller later told the Associated Press that she slipped up. She meant to say "right to life," not "white life."
"You can clearly see in the video ... she's looking at her papers and looking at her speech," he said.
\u201cRepublican Congresswoman Mary Miller, to Trump: \u201cI want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday.\u201d\n\nMake sure everyone sees this.\n\u201d— Really American \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Really American \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1656204156
Although Miller's team is describing it as a mistake, critics were quick to suggest it was a Freudian slip -- especially since the SCOTUS decision is expected to disproportionately affect BIPOC women.
"When people show you who they are, believe them the first time," tweeted Shuwaski Young, a Democratic nominee for Congress in Mississippi.
"This was no gaffe or misspeak," aded Jasmine Clarke, a Democratic representative in Georgia's House. "She said what she said and it tracks with her history of idolizing white supremacy."
Critics also blasted her in the comments on a Twitter video about the decision.
"Hey Mary, you forgot to wear your hood," wrote one user, echoing what others were also saying.
"You said Hitler was right!" pointed out another user. "HITLER!"
In January 2021, Miller did quote Hitler to a crowd of Trump supporters while urging them to deny his election loss.
"Hitler was right on one thing," she said at the time. "He said, 'Whoever has the youth has the future.' Our children are being propagandized."
The Supreme Court decision basically allows states to rule however they want on abortion. That means they can ban it entirely -- and some states already have.
The move is expected to make it particularly hard for lower-income and BIPOC Americans to access abortion, since they may need to go out of state or even leave the country to get one.
That's the problem that many abortion-rights groups, including the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, have been warning about.
"Limiting health care and criminalizing those who might provide life-saving care in various circumstances is dangerous, particularly for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) communities, who will be disproportionately harmed by this ruling," it tweeted.
\u201c"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -MLK\n\nThe @SFHumanRights Commission Statement Regarding SCOTUS\u2019 Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade\n#BIPOC #WomenRights #ReproductiveRights #RighttoPrivacy #SelfDetermination #EqualRights #Liberty #Equality #FORALL #Vote\u201d— SF Human Rights (@SF Human Rights) 1656347800
The SF Human Rights also cited a research article by Duke University which suggests that repealing Roe v. Wade will result in a 21% increase in all pregnancy-related deaths and a 33% increase for Black people.
Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas, a Black woman, also weighed in on the impact of the Supreme Court's decision.
"Roe v. Wade was decided on my 29th birthday- now I am 78 and they overturned it and rolled back 50 years of progress," she wrote.
"But they just awakened a new generation of women and this grandma can't wait to help them change the world once and for all."
