Actress and activist Jane Fonda made a controversial comment during an appearance on “The View,” mentioning “murder” as a way to guarantee access to abortions. However, she later issued a statement saying that her comment was meant as a joke.
During the show, Fonda expressed pro-choice sentiments, stating, “We have experienced many decades now of having agency over our body, of being able to determine when,” as well as “how many children to have. We know what that feels like. We know what that’s done for our lives. We’re not goin’ back. I don’t care what the laws are.”
Fonda suggested “murder,” prompting Behar to interject that Fonda was only “kidding.”
When asked by co-host Joy Behar what actions she would suggest besides protesting, Fonda suggested “murder,” prompting Behar to interject that Fonda was only “kidding.” While Fonda made a face, she did not clarify whether or not she was joking.
Jane Fonda has issued a statement clarifying that her comments about “murder” were made in jest and she was using hyperbole to make a point. “While women’s reproductive rights are a very serious issue and extremely important to me, my comment on The View was obviously made in jest,” Fonda said, according to Fox News Digital. She added that her body language and tone indicated that she was not being serious. Fonda expressed her concern that people lose focus on the issue of women’s reproductive rights when tangential issues and jokes are the focus.
Aside from her activism for reproductive rights, Fonda is also known for her advocacy for climate change. Her book “What Can I Do? The Path from Climate Despair to Action” reflects her belief that climate change is not the only crisis we face. “We are facing a climate crisis, but we’re also facing an empathy crisis, an inequality crisis,” the book’s description reads. “This is going to take an all-out war on drilling and fracking and deregulation and racism and misogyny and colonialism and despair all at the same time.”
