On June 24, the Supreme Court decided to officially overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had guaranteed the right to abortion in the United States. The consequence of the court's 6-3 conservative majority now means that states are able to decide whether to restrict or ban abortion, putting the lives of so many women at risk. Celebrities are coming forward about their abortion stories to show that even the stars we know and love have benefitted from abortions, and to protest the court's desire to control women's bodies.
Actress Jennifer Grey, best known for her starring role in the 1987 classic, 'Dirty Dancing,' recently shared her own experience with abortion. Before she landed that iconic role, she had a rebellious lifestyle that put her at constant risk. In her 2022 memoir 'Out of the Corner', she recalls what her life was like as a teenager. “When I try to imagine my own daughter at 16, playing house, essentially living with a grown-a*s man, doing tons of blow, popping Quaaludes, and going to Studio [54] — not to mention being lied to, cheated on, then gifted with various and sundry STDs and unwanted pregnancies, it makes me feel physically ill,” she wrote.
Considering that Grey had her first child at the age of 41, her words allude to the fact that access to abortion saved her from bringing a child into her unstable life when she wasn't ready. Grey has expressed her devastation at the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and reiterated just how important those laws were for her personally: “I wouldn’t have my life. I wouldn’t have had the career I had, I wouldn’t have had anything.”
A similar attack on women's rights happened back in May 2019, when the Alabama Senate voted to pass a bill that would outlaw almost all abortions in the state. Numerous female celebrities came forward with their abortion experiences. Actress and TV host Busy Philipps was the most outspoken voice at the time, and since then thousands of women posted in support of the #YouKnowMe campaign, recounting their experiences with abortion.
To discover other celebs who got honest about their abortions, click through the following gallery and read their stories.