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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Milica Cosic

'Fearful' Meghan Markle hints at political ambitions after abortion ban ruling

Meghan Markle has hinted at political ambitions and says she is willing to march in Washington DC against the Roe v Wade abortion ruling.

Speaking to feminist activist Gloria Steinem, 88, for Vogue, Meghan revealed that she is seething over the Supreme Court's decision, saying: "Well, Gloria, it seems as though you and I will be taking a trip to DC together soon."

In the interview, Meghan also urged men to be "more vocal" with their anger at the repealing of Roe v Wade - revealing Prince Harry's response to the decision was "guttural".

The Duchess said: "My husband and I talked about that a lot over the past few days. He's a feminist too."

She added: "We have to channel that fear into action. We can start this November in the midterms. We have to vote, every time."

In the interview with Meghan, Ms Steinem declared that she would welcome women traveling to New York for an abortion into her own Manhattan home.

Following on from this, Ms Markle said her miscarriage had hardened her view about the importance of the right to an abortion, saying: "I think about how fortunate I felt to be able to have both of my children.

"I know what it feels like to have a connection to what is growing inside of your body.

"I know what miscarrying feels like, which I've talked about publicly.

"The more that we normalise conversation about the things that affect our lives and bodies, the more people are going to understand how necessary it is to have protections in place."

She also added The Duke of Sussex is a feminist, and he reacted with anger to the Supreme Court's decision.

Markle said that the ruling "may target women, but the consequences impact all of us".

She added: "My husband and I talked about that a lot over the past few days. He's a feminist too."

The Duchess continued to say that Harry was deeply interested in women's rights, adding: "I know that for so many women right now, there is a sentiment of despair. But again, we have to band together and not wallow. We have to do the work."

The mum-of-two also spoke about how important it is to "normalise conversation about the things that affect our lives and bodies".

"This is about women's physical safety," she said.

"It's also about economic justice, individual autonomy, and who we are as a society. Nobody should be forced to make a decision they do not want to make, or is unsafe, or puts their own life in jeopardy."

Steinem told Vogue that Meghan and Harry speaking out about the issue was vital.

"It's very, very, very important," the activist said.

"Because what they both have is trust. We trust them and nothing but nothing replaces trust. It is the most important quality or attribute. We can see things on television and not believe them or not trust them.

"But when people like these two tell us, then we trust it."

Los Angeles-born Markle concluded that now was a time that "requires unity", adding that she is optimistic if people come together to rally against the decision.

"I always look at things with the undercurrent of hope. If you are someone who truly believes that there can be something better, if you're someone who sees injustice, you have a choice: You can sit there and be complacent and watch it, or you can say, 'What can I do to get us to the other side of this?'" she explained.

"That's another reason why I called Gloria, because I knew what I was looking for. What we need, in this moment, is to start with hope."

She continued that what was needed was "really listening to people, understanding the Constitution was written at a time when women were second-class citizens".

She added: "I think it's equally about honouring the people who've been doing the work long before us, like Gloria.

"I'm grateful that I'm holding a baton right there next to her and that we will continue to be doing this work together."

Roe v Wade was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court in 1973, in which the Court ruled that the US Constitution generally protects a pregnant woman's right to choose to have an abortion.

However, this ruling was overturned on Friday last week, sparking anger and protests around the world.

The Duchess of Sussex has also urged people to vote in the November midterm elections - in another big step into US politics.

Meghan and Prince Harry are no strangers to political activism, as they recently hired Miranda Barbot, a former aide to former president Barack Obama. Barbot also assisted in his successful reelection campaign in 2012.

Meghan's political ambitions have long been talked about since Megxit in January 2020. Since then, there have been claims that she would "seriously consider" running for president if her husband dropped his royal title.

If she made it to the White House, Meghan would be the first female US President – succeeding where Hillary Clinton narrowly failed four years ago.

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