PBS anchor wonders if people should 'get into the streets' to protest Supreme Court
PBS host Christiane Amanpour asked when people in the United States would get in the streets to stand up to the Supreme Court, like women in Iran were standing up to their government.
PBS host Christiane Amanpour suggested Americans should go "into the streets" to protest the Supreme Court's decision on abortion rights and other issues, like women in Iran were protesting their repressive regime.
Amanpour and her guest, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, were warning about the "dire" state of democracy in the U.S., on her Tuesday show. She asked if it could "get any worse for the American people" because of recent rulings by the conservative majority court, including the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June.
"I mean, it really does sound dire. Can it get any worse for the American people in the Supreme Court's new term? And I say that because a lot of their rulings have been out of step with what the majority of the people want," she worried.
PBS anchor Christiane Amanpour likened Iran protests for women's rights to women protesting in the United States over abortion rights.
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Holder agreed, saying that the "activist" court was ignoring precedent and leading the country down a path to "fascism" with GOP minority rule.
Alarmed, the PBS anchor asked when women in the U.S. would go "into the streets" to protest, like Iranian women were protesting their repressive government, for their "basic fundamental American rights." She also suggested abortion could be a "motivating issue" to drive voters in the upcoming midterm elections.
"So, Attorney General, I want to ask you whether you think these are motivating issues towards an election. I mean, I'm just looking at Iran, for instance, and here people are coming out and facing the full force of the regime just to stand up for their legal and personal rights and for their freedoms. Do you expect these to be issues coming up to the next election, the midterms? And at what point do people take this stuff, do they get into the streets?" she asked.
Two women vividly demonstrate their disdain for the current Iranian regime during a protest in Dag Hammerskjold Park across from the U.N. headquarters. (John Mantel for Fox News Digital)
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Amanpour quickly added she wasn't calling for "civil war," but calling for protests to maintain Americans' "basic fundamental rights." Holder connected the journalist's question to abortion.
He said polls showed the court's decision made "democracy" a top concern for voters.
"Yes, I mean, the polling in this country, I think, is pretty interesting. After the overruling of Roe versus Wade, and asking American citizens – polls asking American citizens, what are the most important issues the country faces? And you saw the things that you would expect. You know, inflation, the price of gas, you know, a range of things – economic issues. And yet, over the last few weeks, the thing that has broken through and is now identified as the largest component of concerns for the Americans is the state of our democracy. And I think that is a good thing. There's a recognition on the part of the American populace now that how our democracy is on the ballot this November. That the stakes are extremely high," he began.
Protesters demonstrate outside the Supreme Court after a landmark abortion decision struck down Roe v. Wade, Friday, June 24, 2022. (Joshua Comins/Fox News)
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Amanpour made similar comments last June after the Supreme Court's Dobbs vs. Jackson Womens Health decision.
The journalist feared the United States would be viewed as a repressive regime on the global stage.
She even worried that the U.S. would lose the respect of the Taliban.
"American democracy and the state of American women's rights are being really looked at, not just by the rest of the West, as these meetings are happening, but by the rest of the world. You think the Taliban are going to actually say, ‘Oh, yeah, we're going to adhere to what you tell us for recognition based on what, you know, on what we do about women'?" she expressed skeptically.
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