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The United States just went back in time half a century into the reality before Roe v. Wade as the Supreme Court overruled it on Jun 24, 2022. Now there is no national law protecting women’s reproductive rights, leaving that decision to state governments. More than half of them already have plans to ban abortion completely or have strict requirements under which it can be carried out.

The decision caused much agitation in the United States and women are speaking up about what consequences it can have as well as their own experiences demonstrating that abortion should be considered a fundamental right.

Through the years, many celebrities have also opened up about having abortions and what it was like for them. It was never an easy decision to make and these women had consequences to deal with, such as experiencing judgment from other people and coping with their own thoughts. But they did it, no matter if it was legal or not, because it was their lives and their decisions to make.

#1

Ashley Judd

Ashley Judd

I'm very thankful I was able to access safe and legal abortion. Because the sexual abuser, who is a Kentuckian, as am I, and I reside in Tennessee, has paternity rights in Kentucky and Tennessee. I would've had to co-parent with my sexual abuser.

Genevieve , Women in the World Report

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    #2

    Whoopi Goldberg

    Whoopi Goldberg

    I found out I was pregnant when I was 14 years old — I didn't get a period. I talked to nobody. I panicked. I sat in hot baths. I drank these strange concoctions 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. You mixed it all up. I got violently ill. At that moment I was more afraid of having to explain to anybody what was wrong than of going to the park with a hanger, which is what I did.

    whoopigoldberg , The Choices We Made Report

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    Foxxy (The Original)
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Omg, how horrific. Sadly it's gonna happen again. My heart aches for all those women who have and will go through these extreme measures to make a choice that directly affects them, no-one else. This is not about pro life, it's about controlling women. If they want to save lives the now about they start saving the lives of all the children being killed at school for a start. Followed by better health care so people don't die from not being able to afford care, have better sex education, mental health services, more support/services for the MILLIONS of children needing loving homes, help the homeless etc. In other words help the ones that are living and breathing people, with their own identity, personality etc.

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    #3

    Billie Jean King

    Billie Jean King

    Anyone seeking an abortion [in the early '70s] had to obtain approval from a hospital committee — that is, tell a panel of strangers why they believed their pregnancy would 'gravely impair' their physical and mental health. Arguing to a dozen or so people I had never met why I qualified for an abortion remains one of the most degrading experiences of my life

    KingEnterprises , Washington Post Report

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    HarriMissesScotland
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Horrifying. I just want to hug each of these women, and tell them I understand. I went through the same process in 1970 NYC. To this day I can remember everything.

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    #4

    Laura Prepon

    Laura Prepon

    Our neonatal specialist told us the brain was not growing and the bones were not growing. We were told the pregnancy would not go to full term and that my body was at risk carrying any longer. We had to terminate the pregnancy.

    lauraprepon , Liz McNeil Report

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    Jill Pulcifer
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A dear family member of mine and his wife had to abort a badly wanted child because the brain was growing outside of the body. The day they went to the clinic was one of the worst days of their lives and there were protesters calling them murderers. "Pro Life" is quite possibly the biggest oxymoron in the english language. They are pro fetus, they have zero care for the lives of the women and sometimes men this effects. They know the repeal of Roe will end lives, established, non-parasitic lives, real lives, women will die, they have no care for life.

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    #5

    Busy Philipps

    Busy Philipps

    It's not brave for me to say I had an abortion at 15, because it's a medical thing — a thing, a choice that I made, and I don't regret it at all. This shame [was] perpetrated on me, but I don't have a shame. I'm glad I didn't have that guy's baby. I'm OK. ... We hold on to these things as to not make men uncomfortable, but I'm ready for them to start holding it.

    busyphilipps , Busy Philipps's speech at the Goop Summit from 2019 Report

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    Lis Daglish
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    ‘The shame was perpetrated on me’ - so incisively accurate. I had no shame.

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    #6

    Gloria Steinem

    Gloria Steinem

    I was in London because I had a fellowship in India, and I was awaiting my visa. So I was living in London [and] working as a waitress in order to support myself. I had all the usual fantasies [to terminate my pregnancy] — maybe if I go horseback riding, maybe if I throw myself down the stairs. Our minds race through all possible alternatives, and it was sheer luck of going to a doctor whose name I found in the telephone book. It was due to his kindness [and] due to his looking at me and saying, 'If you promise never to tell anyone my name, I will help you.' So he sent me to a woman doctor who actually did the procedure

    Gage Skidmore , Gloria Steinem's interviews with NPR Report

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    #7

    Phoebe Bridgers

    Phoebe Bridgers

    I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour. I went to Planned Parenthood, where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access.

    phoebebridgers , phoebebridgers Report

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    Who Panda 420
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Pro lifers seem to think that planned Parenthood only does abortions. My best friends in Florida went there for free pap smears ( remember no insurance) and when my friend got pregnant they provided a midwife and birthing plan for her. I thought it was a great experience as I was her birthing partner I got to see just how much they did for her. They even had classes on breastfeeding.

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    #8

    Rose Mcgowan

    Rose Mcgowan

    I have had an abortion and I support this message. I am not ashamed, nor should you be. That 60% of those who choose to have abortions are already mothers says a lot- they understand more than anyone. I was on birth control and it failed.

    gdcgraphics , rosemcgowan Report

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    RafCo (he/him)
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not sure about her acting (I've honestly never seen anything she's been in), but she's one hell of a human being. The strength of this woman is incredible.

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    #9

    Uma Thurman

    Uma Thurman

    [My abortion] has been my darkest secret until now. I am 51 years old, and I am sharing it with you from the home where I have raised my three children, who are my pride and joy. ... I was just starting out in my career and didn't have the means to provide a stable home, even for myself. We decided as a family that I couldn't go through with the pregnancy, and agreed that termination was the right choice. My heart was broken nonetheless. ... It hurt terribly, but I didn't complain. I had internalized so much shame that I felt I deserved the pain.

    umathurman , Washington Post Report

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    #10

    Stevie Nicks

    Stevie Nicks

    If I had not had that abortion, I'm pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac. There's just no way that I could have had a child then, working as hard as we worked — and there were a lot of drugs. I was doing a lot of drugs … I would have had to walk away. I knew that the music we were going to bring to the world was going to heal so many people's hearts and make people so happy, and I thought: You know what? That's really important. There isn't another band in the world that has two lead women singers [and] two lead women writers. That was my world's mission.

    Ralph Arvesen , The Guardian Report

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    Fembot
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is important. So many men who renounce parenthood because of their art or other ambitions. Women should be allowed the same choices (without going into the whole drugs thing because obviously.)

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    #11

    Milla Jovovich

    Milla Jovovich

    I went into pre term labor and told that I had to be awake for the whole procedure. It was one of the most horrific experiences I have ever gone through. I still have nightmares about it. I was alone and helpless. When I think about the fact that women might have to face abortions in even worse conditions than I did because of new laws, my stomach turns.

    millajovovich , millajovovich Report

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    Who Panda 420
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's why we have to fight this. It's so much easier to lose your rights than to get them back. I wish the Democrats would pull a trump and elect some more liberal justices to the supreme Court. As far as I know there is no law on how many can serve at one time. I think Republicans are too heavy-handed and Democrats don't do enough.

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    #12

    Alyssa Milano

    Alyssa Milano

    I knew at that time, I was not equipped to be a mother, and so I chose to have an abortion. I chose. It was my choice. And it was absolutely the right choice for me.

    milano_alyssa , Peace Productions Report

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    Jill Rhodry
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Never an easy choice, Sometimes the right choice, Always the woman's choice.

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    #13

    Minka Kelly

    Minka Kelly

    When I was younger I had an abortion. It was the smartest decision I could've made, not only for myself & my boyfriend at the time, but also for this unborn fetus. Having a baby at that time would have only perpetuated the cycle of poverty, chaos and dysfunction I was born into.

    minkakelly , minkakelly Report

    #14

    Nicki Minaj

    Nicki Minaj

    I thought I was going to pass away — I was a teenager. It was the hardest thing I'd ever gone through. It'd be contradictory if I said I wasn't pro-choice — I wasn't ready. I didn't have anything to offer a child.

    nickiminaj , Rolling Stone Report

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    Who Panda 420
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I still think this at 42. I just know that I have always had financial issues plus depression and anxiety not to mention fibromyalgia so I just never thought that I had enough to give a child but that doesn't mean I wouldn't spoil my friend's children to death!

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    #15

    Jameela Jamil

    Jameela Jamil

    I had an abortion when I was young, and it was the best decision I have ever made. Both for me and for the baby I didn't want, and wasn't ready for, emotionally, psychologically, and financially. So many children will end up in foster homes, [and] so many lives [will be] ruined.

    jameelajamil , jameelajami Report

    #16

    Chelsea Handler

    Chelsea Handler

    Of course, the idea that I would have a child and raise it by myself at that age, when I couldn't even find my way home at night, was ridiculous. My parents recognized that, so they acted like parents for one of the very first times in my life and took me to Planned Parenthood.

    David Shankbone , Chelsea Handler Report

    #17

    Amber Tamblyn

    Amber Tamblyn

    In 2012, I had an abortion. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. I still think about it to this day. But these truths do not make me regret my decision. It was the right choice for me, at that time in my life. I have not a single doubt about this

    Wikimedia Commons , Amber Tamblyn Report

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    Sasha Kuleshov
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sexual Education, Contraceptive Methods and Abortion Access goes a long way :D

    #18

    Rita Moreno

    Rita Moreno

    Marlon took me to the hospital. I had what they told me was a 'disturbed pregnancy'. The doctor didn't do anything really, except make me bleed. In other words, he didn't do it right. I didn't know it then, but I could have pass away. What a mess. What a dreadful mess.

    theritamoreno , Marc Malkin Report

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    HarriMissesScotland
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The world is glad that you are still here! You managed to survive despite that cretin/Dr.

    #19

    Cheryl Burke

    Cheryl Burke

    I was two weeks pregnant when I got an abortion. I remember rolling up to Planned Parenthood with picketers holding anti-abortion signs and that alone was traumatic. But, on top of it all, the whole process is traumatic and the fact that now, you're making it illegal for us women to make this decision about our own bodies is absolutely insanity.

    cherylburke , cherylburkeofficial Report

    #20

    Keke Palmer

    Keke Palmer

    I was worried about my career responsibilities and afraid that I could not exist as both a career woman and mother. Twitter is sometimes too flat and too short to express intimate sentiments — words without context [can be] very annoying. I am disheartened hearing about the [Alabama abortion ban]. I feel as if women's rights are going backwards, and individual choice is being taken. I'm truly so confused at the world and the policies that follow

    keke , KekePalmer Report

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    Who Panda 420
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm confused about the world now too. Feels like the US at least has been regressing. Every time I watch the news I feel like it's a nightmare that I just want to wake up from.

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    #21

    Vanessa Williams

    Vanessa Williams

    Being pregnant is the most frightening thing that happens in your life. I knew in high school that's something that I was not prepared to do, or fight, or struggle with.

    Juju Chang and Lauren Effron , Dominick D Report

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    #22

    Jemima Kirke

    Jemima Kirke

    My life was not conducive to raising a healthy [and] happy child — I just didn't feel it was fair. So I decided to get an abortion. Because I couldn't tell my mother that I was pregnant, I had to pay for it out of pocket. I did have to empty my checking account and get [some money] from my boyfriend. I've always felt that reproductive issues should be something that women especially should be able to talk about freely. I still see shame and embarrassment around terminating pregnancies

    jemima_jo_kirke , Entertainment Tonight Report

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    AnotherAtheist
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm from EU. Abortions are free (included in basic insurane everyone has). It is also performed by 97% of obgyns. What's happening in USA is horrible.

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    #23

    Tess Holliday

    Tess Holliday

    My mental health couldn't handle being pregnant again & I made the best decision for ME & ultimately my family.

    tessholliday , tessholliday Report

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    #24

    Naya Rivera

    Naya Rivera

    From the minute I made that first phone call to my mom, it was never a question of whether I was going to have the baby — I just knew I couldn't. And without even saying it, my mom knew it too. It made it easier because I felt like I never had to question if I was making the right decision, but, still, nothing about the next few weeks was even remotely easy.

    Gage Skidmore , ‎TarcherPerigee; Illustrated edition Report

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    #25

    Linsey Godfrey

    Linsey Godfrey

    I had an abortion. I just simply wasn't in a place, financially or emotionally to take that on. I was and still am glad I had that choice because that's exactly what it was, it was my choice, my body.

    ohmygodfrey , linseygodfrey Report

    #26

    Lil' Kim

    Lil' Kim

    Most of the things that I talk about [in my lyrics], yeah, they're true. I talk about the pain of being pregnant and having an abortion. I talk about the things that women have gone through that they don't think I've gone through.

    lilkimthequeenbee , Kristal Brent Zook Report

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    #27

    Meadow Walker

    Meadow Walker

    It is a very private and personal experience - the way it should be. I was lucky enough to have a great doctor who supported me through the debilitating process - with their help, I am able to be the happy and healthy person I am today.

    meadowwalker , meadowwalker Report

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    #28

    Toni Braxton

    Toni Braxton

    I felt selfish because I was thinking: 'I'm going through bankruptcy — there are things going on with my life, and I can't give this kid any future.' I was feeling hopeless for no reason, [and] when I look [back] at it now for no reason, what was I thinking? I am not really embarrassed about it — I am more ashamed of myself for doing that because I could've figured something out financially. That was just an excuse I was making for myself.

    tonibraxton , It Books; First Edition Report

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    Jordan Westall
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She shouldn't be ashamed she couldn't give the child everything it deserved without driving her self into the ground.

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    #29

    Rozonda Thomas (Chilli From Tlc)

    Rozonda Thomas (Chilli From Tlc)

    I was 20 and my career hadn't really started, [and I got pregnant]. How do I do all that? How do I be a mommy? [The abortion] messed me up — it broke my spirit. I felt like I became not my strong self anymore. I felt like I gave in and broke [down] to what someone else wanted. I cried almost every day for nine years. And then I was caught up — I had to have a baby. I had to fix it, and the only way I could fix it was with [TLC producer Dallas Austin]. I could only have this baby with him because the baby I didn't have was with him

    therealchilli , Rozonda Thomas's 2010 reality TV show, What Chilli Wants. Report