Abortion, Taliban in spotlight at Hollywood women's event
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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.
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.)
"How many Amandas are living in Afghanistan, hiding their journals, waiting to see if they're going to be allowed to go to school?" Jolie asked. "As if anyone has the right to decide what a woman can or cannot do with her own mind and body."
