Lewis Hamilton has launched a scathing attack on the US Supreme Court after being left 'disgusted' by their ruling on abortion.
The seven-time world F1 champion hit out after judge Samuel Alito declared there is no constitutional right to abortion in the United States. The ruling overturned the Roe v Wade case from nearly 50 years ago, and the Planned Parenthood v Casey case in 1992 which reaffirmed the Court's decision.
Alito wrote: "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision."
Abortion clinics in some American states have already started to close following the decision. Around half of US states are now expected to introduce new restrictions or bans, while 13 have so-called trigger laws in place that will see abortion banned within 30 days.
The decision has been met with widespread anger and condemnation, not least of all from Hamilton, who has never been afraid to weigh in on political issues: "Disgusted by the decision made by the Supreme Court in the US today," he wrote on Instagram on Friday.
“I don’t understand why some in power pushed and continue to push to strip rights away from millions of people. This decision will impact the most vulnerable among us. Women, people of colour, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and so on.”
Hamilton had already spoken publicly on the issue in May, when he was in the US for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. Again writing on Instagram, the 37-year-old said: "I love being in the States.
“But I can’t ignore what’s going on right now and what some in the government are trying to do to the women who live here. Everyone should have the right to choose what they do with their bodies. We can’t let that choice be taken away.”
The Mercedes driver wasn't the only sporting star to slam the decision, with female football star Megan Rapinoe labelling Friday "a sad day" for many Americans. "It's hard to put into words how sad a day this is for me personally, for my team-mates, for all of the people who are out there who this is going to affect," she told reporters.
"It will completely exacerbate so many of the existing inequalities that we have in our country. It doesn't keep one single person safer, it doesn't keep one single child safer, certainly, and it does not keep women safer."
Rapinoe, 36, said she couldn't understand how "cruel and sad" the ruling was, adding: "We know that the lack of abortion does not stop people having abortions, it stops people from having safe abortions."
The decision sparked mass demonstrations across the country. In the UK, crowds also gathered outside the US Embassy in London to voice their disgust.
