Gwyneth Paltrow launches ‘Hands Off My Vagina’ candle to mark anniversary of landmark US abortion ruling

Gwyneth Paltrow is marking the anniversary of a landmark US abortion rights ruling with a new limited edition candle.

The actress-turned-entrepreneur said the Hands Off My Vagina candle will honour the Roe v Wade case on 22 January.

In the famous 1973 ruling, the US Supreme Court held that a woman’s right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.

It gave a woman the right to an abortion throughout her pregnancy, defining different levels of state interest for regulating the procedure during the second and third trimesters.

But the ruling has come under pressure in recent years, with Texas and Mississippi among the states trying to curtail those rights.

Paltrow wrote on social media: “The word ‘vagina’ holds a lot of power.

“And yet, there is a recurring need to say: Hands off. Hands off our vaginas in any context where they’re not invited.

“Your reproductive organs; your choice.”

The candle costs $75 (£55) and $25 (£18) of each sale will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation’s Reproductive Freedom Project.

The candles will be sold on Paltrow’s Goop website and donations will be made until 1 July.

British fans will need a US shipping address, however, as the website currently says the candle cannot be delivered to the UK.