Matt Agnew has come out swinging in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v Wade case which gave women the right to access abortions.
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Taking to Instagram on Monday, the former Bachelor didn’t mince words as he shared a lengthy post titled “Abortions are not f–king contagious”.
His comments came in response to a growing number of anti-vaccine proponents who have used the situation in the US to push for an end to vaccine mandates in Australia.
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Specifically, they have used the phrase “my body, my choice” – traditionally used to advocate for women to have a right to choose to terminate a pregnancy if they so wish – to claim individuals should also have the right to refuse vaccines.
“’My body, my choice’ being co-opted by the anti-vax crowd is utterly deplorable, disgustingly hurtful, and tremendously dangerous,” Matt wrote.
“For a moment let’s just forget about the fact that this is such an enormous false equivalency and highlight an important difference: a vaccine mandate did not force you to get a vaccine.
“The government did not strap you down and stick needles in your arms. You did not go to jail if you did not get the vaccine. You still had a choice.
“Freedom of choice is not freedom of consequence though, and the fact remains that your choice carried consequences (that did not include facing charges or jail).”
The same can’t be said about the current situation in the US, where millions of women have lost the freedom to make their own choices about their reproductive health.
With access to safe abortions no longer protected by Roe v Wade, women could face charges and even jail time for terminating a pregnancy, in some states even if the pregnancy is a health risk to the mother or foetus.
As Matt explained: “They have been robbed of choice. Now, the consequences of making their choice can result in charges or jail.
“So, without even considering the staggering differences in these two medical procedures, the two are profoundly different from the simple premise of choice and the lack thereof.”
He added that “abortions are not f–king contagious” and unlike vaccination, which can affect the rest of the population, abortions do not affect the health of anyone but the individual involved.
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“If someone gets an abortion it does not affect you in the slightest,” Matt penned.
“If it upsets you because it flies in the face of whatever belief system you dogmatically follow then that’s just too bad; your own personal convictions do not dictate other people’s lives.”
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On the other hand, not getting vaccinated “endangers the community” and “indirectly violates other people’s bodies with a contagious disease” if you spread it.
“People are not getting upset because you being unvaccinated challenges their beliefs,” Matt concluded.
“It is a public health risk; mandates are put in place to help keep people safe, especially the most vulnerable in the community.”
Matt followed up with a list of facts about vaccines and vaccine mandates in Australia dating back to 1944 in a bid to fight misinformation with education.
He’s not the first local star to speak out in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s shocking decision, however he’s one of only a few who have addressed how the anti-vax movement have co-opted the news.
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