Saturday Night Live's Leslie Jones blasted a series of state anti-abortion bills, calling them a "war on women" in a segment on Weekend Update.
Dressed in a red cape and white bonnet from The Handmaid's Tale, she said: "We're all handmaidens now ... This is how it starts. I'm out living my life, then I see on the news a bunch of states are trying to ban abortion and then tell me what I can and can't do with my body. Next thing you know I'm at Starbucks, and they won't take my credit card because I'm a woman."
The Handmaid's Tale, a 1985 novel that's been adapted into a show on Hulu, paints a picture of a dystopian future in which fertile women have lost their rights and been forced by a hyper-religious government to bear the children of the men in charge. The show depicts the gradual progression of stricter and stricter laws that lead to their enslavement.
You can watch the entire speech below:
“You can’t tell me what to do with my body.” – @Lesdoggg #SNLFinale
Jones moved on to criticize the senators who voted for last week's anti-abortion law in Alabama, which criminalized nearly all abortions in the state, even for victims of rape and incest.
"What made me so mad was seeing the 25 Alabama senators who voted for the Alabama abortion ban," she said, giving the cue to show a profile shots of all 25 senators. "This looks like a casting call for a Lipitor commercial. This looks like the mugshot of everyone arrested at a massage parlor."
‘This looks like the mugshots of everyone arrested at a massage parlor”. #snl’s Leslie Jones on these Alabama fuckwads. @Lesdoggg
"When women have a choice, women have freedom," she exclaimed, sparking a raucous response from the studio audience.
"The fact that nine states are doing this means that this really is a war on women. And if you're a woman out there and you feel scared or confused, just know that you're not alone," she said. "There's so many women out there who have got your back, especially me. Leslie 'Dracarys that bitch' Jones."
(In Game of Thrones, the word "Dracarys" commands dragons to spit fire.)
The actor who played Missandei on the show expressed her support for Jones' speech:
Leslie “Dracarys” Jones everybody 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 @Lesdoggg https://t.co/edaPjw3xBZ
While some Twitter users voiced anti-abortion opinions in response to the clip of Jones circulating online, a lot of people chimed in to cheer her on, too:
so good to see @Lesdoggg dropping the truth on what’s been going this past week. women’s choice is women’s freedom. #snl
Thank you @Lesdoggg, we got your back and every other woman in the worlds too. #SNL @nbcsnl
“Because when women have a choice. Women. Have. FREEDOM!” -Leslie Dracarys That Bitch Jones 🙌🙌🙌🙌👏👏 @Lesdoggg #SNL https://t.co/hp2b1HOSum