Barbarz Steelz
The United States just went back in time 50 years to a time before Roe v. Wade. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Now, there is no national law that protects women’s reproductive rights. Instead, state governments make these kinds of decisions. More than half of them already have plans to either outlaw abortion completely or make it very hard to do.
The decision caused a lot of uproar in the United States, and now women are speaking out about what it means and how their own experiences show that abortion should be a basic right.
Many famous people have talked about having abortions and what it was like for them over the years. It was never an easy choice, and these women had to deal with things like how other people judged them and how they felt about themselves. But they did it, no matter if it was legal or not because it was their lives and their decisions.
01 Chelsea Handler
At that age, when I couldn’t even find my way home at night, it was ridiculous to think that I would have a child and raise it by myself. My parents knew that, so for one of the first times in my life, they did what their parents do and took me to Planned Parenthood.
02 Gloria Steinem
I was in London because I was going to India for a fellowship and was waiting for my visa. So, I was living in London and working as a waitress to make a living. I thought of all the usual ways to end the pregnancy, like going horseback riding or throwing myself down the stairs. Our minds go through all the possible options, and I went to a doctor because I found his name in the phone book. It was because he was kind and because he looked at me and said, “I’ll help you if you promise not to tell anyone my name.” So he sent me to a woman doctor who did the procedure.
03 Ashley Judd
I’m so glad I was able to get a safe, legal abortion. Because both the sexual abuser and I are from Kentucky, and I live in Tennessee, the sexual abuser has paternity rights in both Kentucky and Tennessee. I would have had to raise my kids with the man who sexually abused me.
04 Billie Jean King
In the early 1970s, if you wanted an abortion, you had to get permission from a hospital committee. This meant you had to explain to a group of strangers why you thought your pregnancy would “gravely impair” your physical and mental health. One of the most humiliating things I’ve ever done was explain to a dozen or so people I’d never met why I was eligible for an abortion.
05 Busy Philipps
It’s not brave of me to say that I had an abortion when I was 15. It was a medical decision that I made, and I don’t regret it at all. I was made to feel this shame, but I don’t feel shame. I’m glad I didn’t get pregnant by that guy. I’m OK. … We hold on to these things so as not to make men uncomfortable, but I’m ready for them to start holding it.
06 Jameela Jamil
When I was young, I had an abortion, and it was the best choice I’ve ever made. Both for me and the baby I didn’t want and wasn’t emotionally, mentally, or financially ready. So many kids will end up in foster care, which will ruin so many lives.
07 Laura Prepon
Our neonatologist told us that the baby’s bones and brain were not growing. We were told that the pregnancy wouldn’t go all the way to term and that my body couldn’t handle it for much longer. We had to get rid of the baby.
08 Alyssa Milano
I knew I wasn’t ready to be a mom at that time, so I chose to have an abortion. I picked. I chose to do it. And it was the best choice I could have made.
09 Milla Jovovich
I went into labor before my due date, and I was told I had to stay awake for the whole thing. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever had to go through. Even now, I still have bad dreams about it. I was by myself and powerless. Because of new laws, it makes my stomach turn to think that women might have to get abortions in even worse conditions than I did.
10 Minka Kelly
I had an abortion when I was younger. It was the best choice I could have made, not just for myself and my boyfriend at the time, but also for the baby I was carrying. At that time, having a baby would have continued the cycle of poverty, chaos, and dysfunction that I was born into.
11 Nicki Minaj
When I was a teen, I thought I was going to die. I had never been through anything harder than that. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t pro-choice because I wasn’t ready. I had nothing to give to a child.
12 Phoebe Bridgers
I had an abortion while I was on tour in October of last year. When I went to Planned Parenthood, they gave me the pill to end the pregnancy. It was simple. Everyone should have access like that.
13 Rose Mcgowan
I’ve had an abortion, and I agree with what you’re saying. I’m not ashamed, and you shouldn’t be either. The fact that 60 percent of people who choose to have an abortion are already mothers says a lot about how much they understand. I tried to stop having kids, but it didn’t work.
14 Stevie Nicks
I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac if I hadn’t had that abortion. There was no way I could have had a child back then. We worked so hard, and there were lots of drugs around. I did a lot of drugs… I would have had to walk away. I knew that the music we were going to make would heal so many hearts and make so many people happy, and I thought, “You know what? This is a very important point. There is no other band in the world with two women who are the main singers and writers. That was the point of my life.
15 Uma Thurman
Up until now, [my abortion] was my darkest secret. I’m 51 years old, and I’m telling you this from the house where my three children, who are my pride and joy, grew up. I had just started a new job and didn’t have enough money to give myself or anyone else a stable place to live. As a family, we decided that I couldn’t go through with the pregnancy, so we all agreed that I should have it ended. Even so, my heart was broken… It hurt a lot, but I didn’t say anything. I felt so bad about myself that I thought the pain was my fault.
