Women Flooded Twitter with 'Handmaid's Tale' References in Response to the AHCA
"And you thought 'Handmaid's Tale' was just a fictional story."
On Thursday, the House passed the American Health Care Act, the Republicans' plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as Obamacare. Not only would the new bill dismantle the ACA's popular protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions, but under the AHCA, pregnancy, postpartum depression, and rape would all qualify as pre-existing conditions.
As The Huffington Post points out, this means that the AHCA (which is still awaiting a vote from the Senate) would leave women especially vulnerable to higher premiums and potential denials of coverage.
This fact wasn't lost on American women, who immediately took to Twitter to point out the chilling similarities between the fears raised by the AHCA and the dystopian world of Hulu's popular adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.
Live from the WH Rose Garden pic.twitter.com/ASW2prWXVaMay 4, 2017
The Handmaid's tale is real. Thanks Paul Ryan. #AHCA #Resistance pic.twitter.com/KqCK2sGqKpMay 4, 2017
BREAKING: Season 2 of 'The Handmaid's Tale' currently filming at the @WhiteHouse. #AHCA pic.twitter.com/kFft11j4opMay 4, 2017
AHCA will directly punish women for their own rape / sexual assault / C-sections. Andddd we're one step closer to the Handmaid's Tale. https://t.co/px9E2fJURNMay 4, 2017
If you're watching Handmaid's tale, you might enjoy this photo of the real life "commanders". #AHCA pic.twitter.com/3Pf2VrlGjoMay 5, 2017
It's like the House of Representatives all watched Handmaid's Tale and said, "Let's do THIS." #AHCAMay 4, 2017
What a world.
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Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.