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'US is becoming Gilead': Handmaid's Tale trends after report claims SCOTUS may overturn Roe v Wade

Users are comparing the situation to The Handmaid's Tale, a television series where a sexist society subjects fertile women to child-bearing slavery

The leaked initial draft written by Justice Samuel Alito states that the Supreme Court has reportedly voted to overturn the Roe v Wade abortion ruling. Obtained by Politico, the document says, "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."

The leak led to massive outrage as Americans gathered outside the Supreme Court building in large numbers while chanting "Abortion is health care" and "My body, my choice" against the decision. Similarly, appalled users on the Internet are speaking up against it. Many users are comparing the situation to The Handmaid's Tale, a dystopian television series in which a sexist society subjects fertile women to child-bearing slavery.

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One tweet read, "A woman's right to choose what she does with her own body isn't up to misogynistic Republicans. Codify Roe v Wade, say fuck no to Handmaid's Tale." Another said, "For the last time, A Handmaid's Tale is NOT supposed to be a fucking How-To Guide." A third wrote, "Elon called the left 'extremists', today the right went completely Handmaid's tale on women and decided to end abortions. These people don't respect women, they want to degrade and control them."

While one user tweeted, "The Handmaid's Tale wasn't a work of fiction. It was a warning," another fumed, "One step closer to a Handmaid's Tale. F*ck you @SenatorCollins." A third made a sarcastic comment saying, "Republicans across the country are banning The Handmaid's Tale because they don't want us reading their play book."

One user wrote, "I didn't realize tonight was the premiere of Handmaid's Tale season 5 but here we are, America." Another said, "I wish the Handmaid's Tale hadn't become a non-fiction book." A third felt, "I can't believe we're seeing The Handmaid's Tale playing out IRL just to the south of us. This stuff never ends at the border."

A fourth said, "The radically extreme rightwing conservative majority on the Supreme Court has reportedly decided to overturn Roe v. Wade & effectively ban abortion. The majority opinion was written by Justice Alito. If true, this is a grim day for America. We're now in The Handmaid's Tale." A fifth quipped, "I liked The Handmaid’s Tale better when it was a work of fiction." A sixth felt, "The US is slowly becoming Gilead. If you’re a woman, your life changed for the worst today."

The Republic of Gilead, also known as simply Gilead, is the totalitarian patriarchal theocracy that rules over most of the territory that belonged to the former continental United States in The Handmaid's Tale. As per CNBC, if the conclusions of the draft opinion are officially released by the court before its term ends in two months, individual states would be able to restrict when and how women terminate their pregnancies, without federal courts having a say over the legality of those rules.