Fox News Flash top headlines for May 23
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NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has called for boycotts of several states that have enacted pro-life legislation in recent weeks.
Abdul-Jabbar wrote an op-ed in The Hollywood Reporter in which he invited readers to take a ride on the "DeLorean" back to the 1950s where anyone who wasn't "a straight, white Christian male" was a "second-class citizen whose rights and future depended on the patriarchs’ whims and largesse."
"It’s hardly surprising that this entitled group would like to return to their rapidly eroding privileged status, which they hope to accomplish through sustained attacks on women, people of color, immigrants, Muslims and the LBGTQ community," Abdul-Jabbar wrote. "By emboldening the right wing through vitriolic rhetoric, the Donald Trump administration has become the UV light in sleazy motel rooms that illuminates these hidden stains on our democracy. Right now the stains include Georgia, Alabama, Missouri and other states passing restrictive abortion legislation that reduces women to baby incubators."
GEORGIA GOVERNOR CALLS OUT 'C-LIST CELEBRITIES' THREATENING TO BOYCOTT STATE OVER ABORTION BILL
"The time has come for Americans to defend the principles of the Constitution by stomping on the brakes of that DeLorean. For now, one of the best ways to do that is through boycotting the offending states," he urged readers.
The former Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers great acknowledged that boycotts create "hardship" for both the innocent and the guilty, but stressed, "that's the whole point."
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"Hardships motivate the self-righteous leaders to face the consequences of their political greed. A boycott’s success depends on the commitment of those seeking change to endure suffering," Abdul-Jabbar explained.
He then called out filmmakers who continue to work in Georgia -- which passed a "heartbeat" bill that bans abortions after six weeks -- but also donated to the ACLU, saying that "isn’t nearly enough" since "more states will pass these restrictive laws" if a "powerful message" isn't sent.
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"No one wants a boycott. So, to be fair to both sides, before implementing one, states can be given a reasonable deadline to repeal these unjust laws. Failure to do so should launch a coordinated boycott involving all organizations representing the many marginalized groups under attack," he continued. "Success for all depends on working as one. Together these groups form a majority of the population and have the power to change things. The will of the majority was thwarted in the 2016 election, and we can’t let it happen again."
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