Brave celebrities open up about their abortions

Gloria Steinem - The feminist activist spoke about her abortion at 22, before abortion was legal, in an interview with NPR. "I had been doing all of the foolish things that we then did [to terminate a pregnancy], like riding horseback, throwing ourselves down stairs." She said that was a better alternative than being forced into marriage with the wrong person and a life that wasn't her own.

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Jameela Jamil - The actress and activist shared her story on Twitter, explaining that her abortion was the best decision she ever made, both for herself, but also for the baby she didn't want and wasn't at all ready for "emotionally, psychologically and financially."

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Jameela Jamil - She lamented all the children forced into foster homes, and called the Alabama bill "upsetting, inhumane, and blatantly demonstrative of a hatred of women, a disregard for our rights, bodies, mental health," and even a punishment for victims of sexual assault.

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Vanessa Williams - During an interview on 'Nightline,' Williams spoke about getting an abortion in high school: "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."

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Minka Kelly - The American actress revealed on Instagram that she's had an abortion, explaining, "It was the smartest decision I could've made, not only for myself & my boyfriend at the time, but also for this unborn fetus," as the child would’ve been born into poverty and out of trauma.

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Minka Kelly - She also asked why pro-life supporters "refuse to talk about comprehensive sex-ed, the maternal mortality rate, free daycare, paid maternity leave," and added, "women do not get pregnant alone."

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Joan Collins - The 'Dynasty' star stated that she had no regrets about an abortion in her mid-20s with then-fiancé Warren Beatty, as she told Piers Morgan in 2010, "It would have been absolute career death for me to have done that … it would have been unthinkable to have a child."

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Joan Collins - She added that neither of them had any money, "and I believe if you are going to bring a child into the world that you have to have a responsibility to that child."

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Whoopi Goldberg - Goldberg wrote about her abortion in an essay for Angela Bonavoglia's 'The Choices We Made,' explaining that she was 14 and drank horrifying concoctions and made dangerous choices because, "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."

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Margaret Cho - The comedian often mentions abortion in her routines, which she explained to XOJane is because she's had them and wants to talk about, no matter people's views. She added, "If males had to have abortions, it would be something that was routinely discussed and the emotional life of it would be really examined."

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Milla Jovovich - The actress shared her story of her emergency abortion on Instagram: "It was one of the most horrific experiences I have ever gone through." She explained that no woman wants to go through an abortion, "But we have to fight to make sure our rights are preserved to obtain a safe one if we need to."

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Nicki Minaj - In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, the rapper admitted to having an abortion as a teen, explaining "It was the hardest thing I'd ever gone through," but adding, "I wasn't ready. I didn't have anything to offer a child."

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Chelsea Handler - In an essay for Playboy, Handler opened up about two abortions she had at age 16, admitting that she was irresponsible, which also proved that she was not fit to raise a child. "I'm grateful that I came to my senses and was able to get an abortion legally without risking my health or bankrupting myself or my family."

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Rose McGowan - In response to a tweet about how abortion is "common, normal, and safe," the actress and activist replied, "I have had an abortion and I support this message. I am not ashamed, nor should you be."

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Rose McGowan - She explained that she was even on birth control, but it failed, and she knew she couldn't bring a child into the world she was still trying to change. "I do not regret my decision and it was not made lightly. If you do not want an abortion, don't get one. My body, my choice, my life."

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Sinead O'Connor - According to Nylon, the Irish singer had a planned pregnancy, but things with the father went south. It was too much for him to handle, and she was on tour and feeling ill all the time, so she made the decision to terminate. "If I had had the child, I wouldn't have been in any state to be the mother that child would have deserved," she said.

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Sharon Osbourne - The media personality had an abortion when she was 17, after having sex for the first time. She spoke about the shame involved, particularly from her mother, and said, "I went alone. I was terrified. It was full of other young girls, and we were all terrified and looking at each other and nobody was saying a bloody word."

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Sherri Shepherd - In a heated debate over abortion on 'The View,' Shepherd shared her personal experience "as a girl who has had a lot of abortions," to make her point that women need to have the option if their circumstances are not right to raise a child.

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Sherri Shepherd - Referring to the Texas law that requires women to see sonogram footage before an abortion, Shepherd said that, if she'd had to see the fetus, "I would have put my child in a lot of situations that wouldn't have been good because I didn't have the mental capacity to deal with having a child."

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Billie Jean King - The famed tennis star had an abortion before her career took off. "The reason I had an abortion is because I was not in a good place," she explained in an interview with Makers. "I was just finding out about my sexuality. I was trying to figure my life out. I was trying to get the tour started. I just did not want to bring a baby into the world."

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Jemima Kirke - The actress shared her story about having an abortion while in college. She explained that it wouldn't be fair to the child, as she was not prepared (she didn't even have enough money for anesthesia) and she didn't want to be permanently tied to the guy.

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Stevie Nicks - In 2014, Nicks finally cleared up the rumors about an abortion with Eagles front man Don Henley, which was said to have inspired her song 'Sara.' She told Billboard, "Had I married Don and had that baby, and had she been a girl, I would have named her Sara."

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Lil' Kim - In 2000, the rapper told The Washington Post she had an abortion when she became pregnant with Biggie Smalls, which she wrote about in her song 'Hold On.' She said of her lyrics: "I talk about the things that women have gone through that they don't think I've gone through."

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Miranda July -

The writer and actress joined in the #YouKnowMe hashtag and tweeted, "I was 27. My then-boyfriend, who was big on 'pulling out in time,' thought we should consider having it and I said something like DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I AM ON THE VERGE OF DOING?? 2 years later I started shooting my first feature."

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Brave celebrities open up about their abortions

Uma Thurman has revealed that she had an abortion as a teen in an emotional op-ed

22/09/21 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Abortion

On May 14, 2019, the Alabama Senate voted to pass a bill that would outlaw almost all abortions in the state. As a result, 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.

September of 2021 caused another uprising as Senate Bill 8 was passed which virtually bans abortion in the state of Texas. Many celebrities have spoken out against the decision, including 51-year-old actress Uma Thurman. Thurman wrote an op-ed piece for the Washington Post in which she shared publicly for the first time that she had an abortion. She revealed that she became pregnant in her late teens after sleeping with a much older man while on an acting job in Germany. She wrote that she probably had more to lose than gain from writing such an intimate and revealing piece, but wanted to give hope to the women and girls who were feeling shame and fear. "To all of you—to women and girls of Texas, afraid of being traumatized and hounded by predatory bounty hunters; to all women outraged by having our bodies' rights taken by the state; and to all of you who are made vulnerable and subjected to shame because you have a uterus—I say: I see you."

To discover other celebs who got honest about their abortions, click through the following gallery and read their stories.