Photo by Letizia Bordoni on Unsplash
Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo made a “clear stand” with European women and the importance of voting for their rights in the forthcoming European elections while attending the Academy Awards on Sunday.
He said he backs the MyVoiceMyChoice campaign, launched by women activists from across Europe, who are calling for “safe and accessible” abortion rights.
He said, “Tonight at the Oscars, I stand with the women of my @myvoicemychoiceorg, who use this “finger heart” to champion the right to choose.”
The issue of reproductive rights reminds him, he said, of the film Poor Things, an Oscar nominee.
“To quote from the film: “It is your body, Bella Baxter. Yours to give freely.”
But he added, “In the US and EU alone, they’ve cut tens of millions of women from essential abortion rights.”
It was, he noted, “inspiring to see how women in Europe are already using the “heart finger” to express love for women’s rights at the ballot box.”
“Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the heart symbol forms a ‘V’—for VOTE. Voting protects those the globally coordinated Far Right victimises: women and children, democracy and our planet.”
“So, in 2024, let’s spread this symbol to protect women and all lives.”
Welcoming support from Ruffalo, Nika Kovac, Director of The Research Institute of 8th March and coordinator of the campaign My voice, My choice said, “We are a group of women and organisations from different parts of Europe.
“We all lead national fights for reproductive rights, democracy and an equal society in our countries.
“But when we saw how the right to abortion disappeared overnight in the USA, and how women in Poland are being killed in hospitals because abortion is forbidden there, we understood that this is not enough, and that we must come together to fight for abortion rights across Europe.”
“Over 20 million women in Europe do not have access to free and accessible abortion. We want to change this and so, we are organising the biggest campaign for reproductive rights ‘My voice, My choice’.
“We all know that 2024 is a super election year and it is paramount that we vote for our rights.
“We cannot thank Mark enough for his support; he is one of the first people who recognised our campaign as very important and used his voice to make us be heard.
“He gave us courage to dream even bigger. First Slovenia, then France (last week), and next Europe should enshrine abortion law in its constitution. Together we can change things,” added Kovac.
The MyVoiceMyChoice campaign has brought together activists and NGOs from eight European nations, including Spain, Finland, Poland, Slovenia, France, Croatia, and Ireland.
Their key demand is to set up a fund to facilitate cross-border safe abortion practices and enhance access to reproductive healthcare services across all member states.
