DISTURBED's DAVID DRAIMAN: 'The Government Should Not Be Able To Tell Anyone What They Can And Cannot Do With Their Own Body'

DISTURBED's David Draiman and SHINEDOWN's Zach Myers have reacted to a leaked draft opinion published by Politico on Monday (May 2) that shows a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court has voted to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade that established the right to abortion nearly 50 years ago.

According to the Politico report, the draft was written by Justice Samuel Alito and circulated in February. Alito was reportedly joined by justices Clarence Thomas and all three of former President Donald Trump's nominees — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — while justices Stephen Breyer, Elana Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor were working on dissents. It was unclear how Chief Justice John Roberts voted.

Early this morning, Draiman took to his Twitter to write: "The government should not be able to tell anyone what they can and cannot do with their own body. Period. #prochoice #RoeVWade".

Myers chimed in, writing: "Leaks happen for purposes of chaos and panic. Period.", to which Draiman responded: "There would have been chaos and panic whenever this one got out. Leaked or otherwise." Myers added: "I only don't like leaks for the purpose of pot stirring …. Which is what this feels like … it causes panic when a matter isn't settled. Also for a guy who was never 'what else is going on here' In the last 4 years. Now I'm def like 'what ELSE is going on here'".

A couple of hours later, Draiman tweeted: "Just an observation; This 'leak' was exactly what the Democrats needed to galvanize and energize their base. The resulting fervor could prevent the red wave many were predicting in the upcoming elections." He then clarified: "(Reminder; I pledge allegiance to neither side) #prochoice #RoeVWade".

The 1973 Roe v. Wade court decision affirmed the right to receive an abortion under the 14th Amendment, ruling that abortions were constitutionally protected up until about 23 weeks when a fetus can typically live outside the womb.

In the 98-page draft, Alito said Roe was wrongly decided, saying the issue should be decided by politicians, not courts. If Roe is reversed, it would not federally outlaw abortion. However, it would shift the power to states to decide on the procedure's legality.

In 2020, Michael Sweet of openly Christian rockers STRYPER publicly revealed his views on abortion. While discussing how he decides which presidential candidate he gets behind, he told Slabber.net: "It's not anything new for people to hear from a Christian that they support pro-life. We want to see children that are unborn, live. The other side of that argument, for example, if the woman is raped and she loses her right to have an abortion, that's a terrible thing as well, and I agree with that. You would think in this case a woman should have the choice to keep that baby or not keep that baby. It's a tough argument. There are pros and cons to both sides of this argument. For me, as a believer, as a Christian, the pro-life pros outweigh the cons. Therefore, I'm a guy who typically gets behind whoever is the candidate that is pro-life as well."

One vocally pro-choice musician has been TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider, who told Yahoo! Entertainment in a 2019 interview: "I hate the whole concept of pro-choice versus … well, I call it 'no choice.' It's not like you choose for yourself, and that means you can have children, or you don't have children. They're, like, 'No, we're deciding for you what is right for you.' And there are Republicans out there who are [pro-choice]. They call them 'Northeastern Republicans' as a rule, and they tend to be fiscally conservative/socially liberal. I love those guys."

According to a September 2021 Yahoo News/YouGov poll, more than twice as many Americans (55 percent) said they wanted the court to reaffirm Roe v. Wade as said they wanted it overturned (26 percent).

Critics have said that tossing out the landmark rulings establishing abortion rights would tarnish the court's reputation and open the floodgates to other challenges to well-settled law.