“Handmaid’s Tale” star Bradley Whitford reacted to the news that Louisiana Republicans have passed a bill criminalizing the possession of two abortion-inducing pills without a doctor’s prescription, a move that will make it difficult for medical professionals to treat female patients in need.
On Wednesday, the star reshared an X post from Biden-Harris HQ’s verified account announcing the news. To the campaign’s declaration that the medication is being reclassified as a “controlled and dangerous” substance and that “hundreds of doctors oppose it but Republicans are moving forward anyway,” the Emmy-winning actor had three words:
“Under his eye.”
Using the “eye” emoji to indicate the full statement, Whitford called back to the infamous words from the patriarchal theocracy in “Handmaid’s” — one that enslaves fertile women to farm their bodies for pregnancy. Whitford plays Commander Joseph Lawrence in the dystopian, Republic of Gilead-set show.
Whitford commented under a video of NBC anchor Craig Melvin, who was breaking the details of the bill. For those unfamiliar with the Republican-backed legislation, Louisiana lawmakers have moved forward with a bill that seeks to criminalize the possession of two abortion-inducing drugs — mifepristone and misoprostol — without a prescription and reclassify them as “controlled dangerous substances.”
As part of the bill, women who are pregnant would still have access to the medication, but a doctor would have to prescribe it to them. In a letter to legislators, signed by more than 200 physicians, the professionals said the bill could block them from being able to give patients the medication in a timely manner. The two medications have been available since 2000, and are not only used for abortion-related purposes, they can also help treat miscarriages and induce labor, among other uses. The bill is now headed to the Senate.
