Nancy Lee Grahn Shows Her Stance on Abortion with Fashion Statement at the Daytime Emmy Awards

"I feel that my voice as a citizen trumps being an actor," Nancy Lee Grahn told PEOPLE at the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade

PASADENA, CA - JUNE 24: Nancy Lee Grahn arrives at The 49TH ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY® AWARDS, broadcasting LIVE Friday, June 24 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+*. This year marks the 16th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmy Awards, more than any other network. The last time they aired on the Network was 2021. (Photo by Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images)
Photo: Francis Specker/CBS via Getty

Nancy Lee Grahn is making her stance clear on reproductive rights.

The General Hospital star, 66, sported several pro-choice statement pieces as she walked the red carpet Friday at the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards in Pasadena, following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn 1973's Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion.

She donned a chic black pantsuit, which she accessorized with earrings that read "CHOICE" and a jeweled clutch adorned with the words "BANS OFF OUR BODIES." Additionally, she wrote "REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM" across her chest and wore rubber bracelets for several causes.

Grahn told PEOPLE on the red carpet that she "knew the spotlight would be on me" as she chose to make a statement with her ensemble.

"Our audience is predominantly women. They are our primary and valued audience and I respect women enormously," Grahn said. "Today, they've had their dignity taken away from them because the six extremists on the Supreme Court have issued women a death warrant. So I can't get over that to be all smiley here."

Abortion rights demonstrator Elizabeth White leads a chant in response to the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health overturns the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case and erases a federal right to an abortion.
Abortion rights protest. Brandon Bell/Getty

The Emmy Award winner also acknowledged that some of her fans will disagree with her stance. "There's a fraction of this audience that are very angry at me, and that's the risk I'm willing to take. I feel that my voice as a citizen trumps being an actor," Grahn said.

She was nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series at Friday's Daytime Emmy Awards for her performance as Alexis Davis in General Hospital, on which she has starred since 1996. The award went to her costar Kelly Thiebaud.

Friday's 6-to-3 ruling reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, giving states the power to pass their own laws around abortion. Since the decision, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and South Dakota have already banned abortion in their states, after putting "trigger bans" in place that governors enacted after the SCOTUS ruling.

RELATED VIDEO: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade, Eliminating the Constitutional Right to Abortion

Protests have since erupted around the country, and President Joe Biden has spoken out against the ruling, which he called the "realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court."

For more on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

The decision comes after the SCOTUS opinion was leaked to Politico last month. A poll conducted by CNN has since found that 66 percent of Americans did not want Roe v. Wade to be overturned.

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