In the wake of a leaked draft detailing that the Supreme Court had voted to strike out Roe v. Wade, many people spoke out against the decision.
Some of the people leading the pro-choice argument are women who have experienced abortion, especially celebrities who share their stories in an effort to highlight the importance of letting women choose what they should do with their bodies.
Here are 11 celebrities who have spoken out about abortion.
1. Stevie Nicks
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In an interview with The Guardian, singer Stevie Nicks opened up about having an abortion in 1979, when Fleetwood Mac was in its prime.
“Had I not had that abortion, I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac,” Nicks said. “There’s no way I could have had a baby at the time, as I worked so hard as we were constantly working.”
“I knew that the music we were going to give the world would heal a lot of people’s hearts and make people very happy. And I thought: You know? This is really important. No other group in the world has two lead singers, two leading women writers. This was my global mission.”
2. Philips is busy
Shortly after Georgia passed an anti-abortion bill banning the procedure for six weeks, before a federal judge banned the law in July 2020, Pussy Phillips shared her own experience of having an abortion.
On an episode of her show “Busy Tonight,” the actress said, “I had an abortion when I was 15 and I’m telling you this because I’m really, really scared for women and girls all over the country.”
“Every woman deserves sympathy and care, not judgment and interference when it comes to her own bodies.”
3. Nicki Minaj
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In an interview with Rolling Stone, Nicki Minaj shared that she thought she was “going to die” after learning that she was pregnant in her teens.
“[Having an abortion] “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through,” Minaj said.[It’s] He chased me all my life. It would be contradictory if I said I am not pro-choice. I wasn’t ready. I had nothing to offer a child.”
4. Alyssa Milano
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On her podcast, Alyssa Milano: Sorry I’m Not Sorry, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the glamorous actress stated that she had two abortions over 25 years ago.
“I knew at the time, that I did not qualify to be a mother, and so I chose to have an abortion,” Milano said. “It wasn’t an easy choice. It wasn’t something I wanted, but it was something I needed like most healthcare.”
5. Chelsea Handler
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In an article that Chelsea Handler wrote for Playboy in 2016, the comedian stated that she had two abortions in the same year.
“We all make mistakes all the time. I happened to go up twice at 16. I’m grateful I came to my senses and was able to legally have an abortion without risking my health, my bankruptcy or my family. I’m 41. I never look back And I think, Oh my God, I wish I had that baby.”
6. Naya Rivera
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The late actress Naya Rivera wrote about her experience with miscarriage in her 2016 memoir, “Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up,” after her first split from ex-husband Ryan Dorsey.
Rivera wrote that she and her mother went to Planned Parenthood in a fancy dress to avoid being seen, and returned to work on the set of ‘Glee’ soon after, according to US Weekly.
“It was the worst experience of my life,” Rivera said. “It was incredibly painful – your body is basically in labor with strong and frequent contractions. I was nauseous and kept going in and out of consciousness because of the pain.”
7. Whoopi Goldberg
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When Goldberg was 14, she had an abortion, prior to Roe v. Wade’s death, and wrote of her experiences in the book, “The Choices We’ve Made: Twenty-Five Women and Men Talk About Abortion,” according to BET.
“I didn’t talk to anyone. I panicked. I sat in hot showers. I drank these weird concoctions the girls told me about—something like Johnnie Walker Red with a little bit of Clorox, alcohol, baking soda (which probably saved my stomach), and some sort of cream.” I mixed everything up. I got very sick.”
8. Minka Kelly
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Actress Minka Kelly wrote in an Instagram post about her own experience of having an abortion when she was younger.
“For a child born to two people—too young and not fully equipped—without any means or help from the family, it would have resulted in a child being born into an unnecessary world of struggle,” Kelly wrote.
“Having a child at that time would only have perpetuated the cycle of poverty, chaos, and dysfunction into which you were born.”
9. Uma Thurman
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In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, actress Uma Thurman described her experience as “the darkest of mysteries.”
Thurman wrote, “In my late teens, I was accidentally carried away by a much older man. I was living out of a suitcase in Europe, away from my family, and about to start a business. I struggled to figure out what to do.” .
“We decided as a family that I couldn’t stand the pregnancy, and we agreed that ending the pregnancy was the right choice. With that, my heart broke.”
10. Sherri Shepherd
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While speaking on “The View” with other co-stars, Sherry Shepherd revealed that she “has had a lot of abortions,” according to The HuffPost.
“I swear to God, if they had shown me a picture of the fetus, I would have put my baby in so many situations that wouldn’t fit because I didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with having a baby,” she said.
Shepherd was referring to a Texas anti-abortion law that requires women to “get ultrasound waves from the doctor who will perform the procedure at least 24 hours before the abortion.”
11. Rose McGowan
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In response to a Twitter account that shared a statistic that one in four women will have an abortion before the age of 45, actress Rose McGowan shared her own experience.
“I had an abortion and I stand by that message. I’m not shy, and you shouldn’t be. 60% of those who choose to have abortions are already mothers, and that says a lot – they understand more than anyone else,” McGowan told People. .
“I was on birth control and it failed. I realized I couldn’t bring a baby into my world and at the same time change the world. I don’t regret my decision and it wasn’t taken lightly. If you don’t want an abortion, don’t get one.” My body, my choice, my life. “
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Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. It covers popular culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.
