Fact Check

Did JK Rowling Tweet if ‘American Birds’ Kept ‘Legs Closed’ Maybe They Wouldn’t Need Abortions?

The Harry Potter author has been caught up in Twitter controversy before.

Published Jun 28, 2022

 (Executive Office of the President/Wikimedia Commons)
Image Via Executive Office of the President/Wikimedia Commons
Claim:
J.K. Rowling, British author of the “Harry Potter” book series, tweeted, "If you American birds could keep your legs closed then maybe you wouldn’t need abortions in the first place?" 

Fact Check

J.K. Rowling has been caught up in controversies before, but this fake tweet is not one of them. In June 2022, a purported screenshot of one of her tweets went viral, with many attributing it to the famed author of the “Harry Potter” series of books.

The alleged tweet came in response to the historic ruling on June 24, 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court voted to strike down Roe v. Wade via Planned Parenthood v. Casey, reversing federal abortion protections that had been in place for nearly 50 years. She allegedly wrote, "If you American birds could keep your legs closed then maybe you wouldn’t need abortions in the first place?"

However, her verified account never posted this tweet. We were unable to find evidence of this tweet on her timeline, and in archived versions of her Twitter profile. 

Rowling did tweet about abortion access after the Supreme Court ruling in June and when reports of the ruling were leaked in May:

We reached out to Rowling’s team, and a representative confirmed that she “did not issue this tweet, it is a fake.” 

Sources

“Did J.K. Rowling ‘Confirm Her Stance Against Transgender Women’?” Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/jk-rowling-transphobia-transgender/. Accessed 28 June 2022.

"Has a US Supreme Court Opinion Never Been Leaked in Advance Before?” Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/supreme-court-draft-opinion-leak/. Accessed 28 June 2022.

Twitter, https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/with_replies. Accessed 28 June 2022.

“Live Fact-Checking Updates: US Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade.” Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/06/24/dobbs-supreme-court-roe-wade/. Accessed 28 June 2022.

Nur Nasreen Ibrahim is a reporter with experience working in television, international news coverage, fact checking, and creative writing.

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