Photo: Francis Specker/CBS via Getty
Nancy Lee Grahnis making her stance clear on reproductive rights.
TheGeneral Hospitalstar, 66, sported several pro-choice statement pieces as she walked the red carpet Friday at the 49thDaytime Emmy Awardsin Pasadena, following theSupreme Court’s decision to overturn 1973’s Roe v. Wadeand the constitutional right to abortion.
She donned a chic black pantsuit, which she accessorized with earrings that read “CHOICE” and a jeweled clutch adorned with the words “BANS OFF OUR BODIES.” Additionally, she wrote “REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM” across her chest and wore rubber bracelets for several causes.
Grahn told PEOPLE on the red carpet that she “knew the spotlight would be on me” as she chose to make a statement with her ensemble.
“Our audience is predominantly women. They are our primary and valued audience and I respect women enormously,” Grahn said. “Today, they’ve had their dignity taken away from them because the six extremists on the Supreme Court have issued women a death warrant. So I can’t get over that to be all smiley here.”
Abortion rights protest.Brandon Bell/Getty
The Emmy Award winner also acknowledged that some of her fans will disagree with her stance. “There’s a fraction of this audience that are very angry at me, and that’s the risk I’m willing to take. I feel that my voice as a citizen trumps being an actor,” Grahn said.
She was nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series at Friday’s DaytimeEmmy Awardsfor her performance as Alexis Davis inGeneral Hospital, on which she has starred since 1996. The award went to her costar Kelly Thiebaud.
Friday’s6-to-3 rulingreversed nearly 50 years of precedent, giving states the power to pass their own laws around abortion. Since the decision, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and South Dakota have alreadybanned abortion in their states, afterputting “trigger bans” in placethat governors enacted after the SCOTUS ruling.
RELATED VIDEO: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade, Eliminating the Constitutional Right to Abortion
For more on the Supreme Court overturningRoe v. Wade, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
source: people.com
