Abortion, Taliban in spotlight at Hollywood women’s event

Angelina Jolie, Rita Moreno and several other speakers at Variety's Women of Power event in Los Angeles used their platform to call attention to women's rights issues in the United States and abroad

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- A Hollywood event that’s supposed to be about women's empowerment in the industry and the world was more about how their rights are being imperiled at home and abroad.

Restrictive abortion legislation in the U.S. and the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan took center stage Thursday at the Variety Power of Women event, which honored actor Rita Moreno, singers Katy Perry and Lorde, poet/activist Amanda Gorman, and Channing Dungey, chairwoman of Warner Bros. Television Group.

The event celebrates the philanthropic efforts of those in the entertainment industry, with causes ranging from providing health care to the uninsured to reaching out to underserved communities through the arts.

Angelina Jolie spoke of all the girls in the world who feel like outsiders as she introduced the 23-year-old Gorman, who stole the show at President Biden’s inauguration with a powerful recitation of her poem, “The Hill We Climb.” (Gorman plans to run for president herself in 2036, the first year she’ll be eligible.)