Julianne Hough received a standing ovation on Friday when her character in Broadway play POTUS made a passionate plea about healthcare.
Taking to the stage hours after the US supreme court ruled Roe v. Wade unconstitutional, her character said: "I volunteered at a clinic back in Iowa. Affordable safe reproductive healthcare is a basic human right."
WATCH: Emotional Julianne Hough receives standing ovation during POTUS play
Her voice shook as she made the comment, and the crowds instantly cheered leading to a minute-long ovation from men and women. The play is described as a "riotous comedy about the women in charge of the man in charge of the free world".
"One 4-letter word is about to rock 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. When the President unwittingly spins a PR nightmare into a global crisis, the seven brilliant and beleaguered women he relies upon most will risk life, liberty, and the pursuit of sanity to keep the Commander in Chief out of trouble," the synopsis reads.
MORE: Broadway star Julianne Hough gets fans talking with 'spectacular' new pictures
The court's decision has erased nationally-held reproductive rights and puts the power back in the state's hands. It is thought 25 states will now ban abortion entirely.
The landmark decision was reached on 24 June 2022 by six of the nine justices who ruled that the right to an abortion was not covered under the constitution.
Julianne stars as Dusty in the Broadway play
Oscar winner Viola Davis was also among those to share how "gutted" they were by the ruling. "And so it goes….Gutted. Now more than ever we have to use our voice and power! WE the people," she tweeted.
"Today, the Supreme Court not only reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, it relegated the most intensely personal decision someone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologues—attacking the essential freedoms of millions of Americans," Barack posted on Twitter.
"Across the country, states have already passed bills restricting choice. If you’re looking for ways to respond, Planned Parenthood, United States of Women and many other groups have been sounding the alarm on this issue for years—and will continue to be on the front lines of this fight."
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