Celebrities Who Have Shared Their Abortion Stories to Help Women Feel Less Alone

Mar. 15, 2025

Hilarie Burton, Kerry Washington and Sally Field.Photo:Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic; Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage; Amy Sussman/Getty

Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic; Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage; Amy Sussman/Getty

In recent years, withabortion rights under attack in the United Statesand increasingly sincethe Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, stars includingKerry Washington,Chelsea Handler,Chrissy Teigenand most recently,Sally Field, have been candid about their journeys in an effort to educate, create awareness and to help women (and others) realize that the experience is a common one, that they are not alone and to help erase any stigma around it.Read on for more celebrities who have shared their abortion stories.

In recent years, withabortion rights under attack in the United Statesand increasingly sincethe Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, stars includingKerry Washington,Chelsea Handler,Chrissy Teigenand most recently,Sally Field, have been candid about their journeys in an effort to educate, create awareness and to help women (and others) realize that the experience is a common one, that they are not alone and to help erase any stigma around it.

Read on for more celebrities who have shared their abortion stories.

01of 57

Sally Field

Sally Field.JC Olivera/WireImage

JC Olivera/WireImage

On Oct. 6, Sally Field opened up about the “traumatic” illegal abortion she got 60 years ago — beforethe landmarkRoe v. WadeSupreme Court decisionthat affirmed the right to abortion in the United States was passed.

In an emotional video posted onInstagram, theForrest Gumpactressrecalled the 1964 incident, which happened when she was 17 years old.

“I still feel very shamed about it because I was raised in the ’50s, and it’s ingrained in me,” she began.

“I had no choices in my life, I didn’t have a lot of family support or finances. I graduated high school but no one ever said, ‘How about college?’ Nothing. I didn’t know what I was gonna be,” she continued. “And then I found out I was pregnant.”

At the time, Field “had a family doctor who was a friend of the family, and he drove me and his wife and my mother, in their brand-new Cadillac, to Tijuana.”

“And we parked on a really scroungy-looking street, it was scary and he parked about three blocks away and said, ‘See that building down there?’ And he gave me an envelope with cash and I was to walk into that building and give them the cash and then come right back to him,” she continued.

“There was a technician giving me a few puffs of ether but he would then take it away, so it just made my arms and legs feel numb weird, but I felt everything — how much pain I was in,” she added.

“Then the situation turned darker,” Field recalled. “I realized that the technician was actually molesting me, so I had to figure out, how can I make my arms move to push him away? So it was just this absolute pit of shame. And then, when it was finished, they said, ‘Go go go go go!’, like the building was on fire. And they didn’t want me there,you know, it was illegal!”

That same year, she recalled, things turned around as she began to establish her now decades-long career.

“We can’t go back. We have to all stand up and fight. And that was that lovely story,” she concluded the video.

02of 57Kelly BishopJohn Lamparski/GettyGilmore Girlsstar Kelly Bishop said she didn’t initially plan to include a story about the abortion she had in her 30s in her memoirThe Third Gilmore Girl, but after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, she felt compelled to share her experience.“That’s something private that I just was not going to put in until the Supreme Court got rid of Roe v. Wade,”Bishop told PEOPLE. “And more and more women — actresses, but other celebrity-type women — were coming out of my generation, saying, ‘I had an abortion. I had an abortion.’ I just wanted to include it so that young women of today get a sense of where we were then.“Bishop says she never planned to have children, so when she became pregnant in her 30s, she was grateful for the recent Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 that protected a right to privacy, including whether to continue a pregnancy. “The fact that [abortion] was available and legal, it was just a relief,” she said.

02of 57

Kelly Bishop

John Lamparski/Getty

Gilmore Girlsstar Kelly Bishop said she didn’t initially plan to include a story about the abortion she had in her 30s in her memoirThe Third Gilmore Girl, but after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, she felt compelled to share her experience.

“That’s something private that I just was not going to put in until the Supreme Court got rid of Roe v. Wade,”Bishop told PEOPLE. “And more and more women — actresses, but other celebrity-type women — were coming out of my generation, saying, ‘I had an abortion. I had an abortion.’ I just wanted to include it so that young women of today get a sense of where we were then.”

Bishop says she never planned to have children, so when she became pregnant in her 30s, she was grateful for the recent Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 that protected a right to privacy, including whether to continue a pregnancy. “The fact that [abortion] was available and legal, it was just a relief,” she said.

03of 57Kerry WashingtonKerry Washington.Amanda Edwards/GettyThe Emmy-nominated actress andmother of three, 46, wrote in hernew memoir,Thicker Than Water, that she had an abortion when she was in her 20s.“I struggled a lot in the beginning with whether or not to include my abortion story,” Washingtontold PEOPLE. “At first I wasn’t really sure how it fit into this story of my life. But I started to feel like it was really important for me to share this.“TheScandalactress revealed she had a romantic encounter that resulted in an unplanned pregnancy, shortly after the success ofSave the Last Dancein 2001. To protect her privacy, Washington gave doctors a fake name.“This story had so much to do with my understanding of myself and the world as my career unfolded,” she said.Another reason she chose now to share her experience now: “It’s just so important to me that abortion is not a bad word, and that my abortion is not another thing on the list of things that I’m ashamed of.“Washington added, “We’re at a moment where it’s really important to be telling the truth about ourreproductive choicesbecause some of those choices are being stripped away from us.”

03of 57

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington.Amanda Edwards/Getty

Amanda Edwards/Getty

The Emmy-nominated actress andmother of three, 46, wrote in hernew memoir,Thicker Than Water, that she had an abortion when she was in her 20s.

“I struggled a lot in the beginning with whether or not to include my abortion story,” Washingtontold PEOPLE. “At first I wasn’t really sure how it fit into this story of my life. But I started to feel like it was really important for me to share this.”

TheScandalactress revealed she had a romantic encounter that resulted in an unplanned pregnancy, shortly after the success ofSave the Last Dancein 2001. To protect her privacy, Washington gave doctors a fake name.

“This story had so much to do with my understanding of myself and the world as my career unfolded,” she said.

Another reason she chose now to share her experience now: “It’s just so important to me that abortion is not a bad word, and that my abortion is not another thing on the list of things that I’m ashamed of.”

Washington added, “We’re at a moment where it’s really important to be telling the truth about ourreproductive choicesbecause some of those choices are being stripped away from us.”

04of 57

Britney Spears

Allen Berezovsky/WireImage

Reflecting on the process, Spears writes, “I don’t know if that was the right decision. If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father … To this day, it’s one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life.”

05of 57Paris HiltonParis Hilton.Jerritt Clark/GettyWhile theParis in Lovestar was discussing the importance of using her platform to support reproductive rights,Hilton opened upabout her decision to terminate a pregnancy that she “was not ready for” in her early 20s.“This was also something that I didn’t want to talk about because there was so much shame around that,“Hilton saidin an interview withGlamour UK. “I was a kid and I was not ready for that.“She felt compelled to use her celebrity and speak out following the Supreme Court’s decision torepeal Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion.“I think it is important,” she told the outlet. “There’s just so much politics around it and all that, but it’s a woman’s body… Why should there be a law based on that? It’s your body, your choice and I really believe in that.

05of 57

Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton.Jerritt Clark/Getty

While theParis in Lovestar was discussing the importance of using her platform to support reproductive rights,Hilton opened upabout her decision to terminate a pregnancy that she “was not ready for” in her early 20s.

“This was also something that I didn’t want to talk about because there was so much shame around that,“Hilton saidin an interview withGlamour UK. “I was a kid and I was not ready for that.”

She felt compelled to use her celebrity and speak out following the Supreme Court’s decision torepeal Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion.

“I think it is important,” she told the outlet. “There’s just so much politics around it and all that, but it’s a woman’s body… Why should there be a law based on that? It’s your body, your choice and I really believe in that.

06of 57

Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen.Charley Gallay/Getty Images

“Two years ago, when I was pregnant with Jack, John and my third child, I had to make a lot of difficult and heartbreaking decisions. It became very clear around halfway through that he would not survive, and that I wouldn’t either without any medical intervention,“Teigen explainedin September 2022 at an event, perEntertainment Tonight.

In the past, when speaking about her loss, the cookbook author labeled it a pregnancy loss, though at the event she clarified for the first time that she had had a life-saving abortion.

“I fell silent, feeling weird that I hadn’t made sense of it that way,” Teigen continued. “I told the world we had a miscarriage, the world agreed we had a miscarriage, all the headlines said it was a miscarriage. And I became really frustrated that I didn’t, in the first place, say what it was, and I felt silly that it had taken me over a year to actually understand that we had had an abortion.”

07of 57

Jennifer Grey

Jennifer Grey.Rob Kim/Getty

The actressalluded to her own experiencewith abortion in her memoir,Out of the Corner, in which she discussed her rebellious moments as a teenager.

“When I try to imagine my own daughter at 16, playing house, essentially living with a grown-ass 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. “No teenager should be swimming in waters that dark.”

“I feel so emotional,” the actress told theLos Angeles Timesafter the 2022 Supreme Court ruling. “Even though I’ve seen it coming, even though we’ve been hearing what’s coming, it doesn’t feel real.”

“It’s such a grave decision. And it stays with you,” she admitted, before assuring it was the right decision for herself.

“I wouldn’t have my life. I wouldn’t have had the career I had, I wouldn’t have had anything,” Grey added. “And it wasn’t for lack of taking it seriously. I’d always wanted a child. I just didn’t want a child as a teenager. I didn’t want a child where I was [at] in my life.”

08of 57Torrey DeVittoTibrina Hobson/GettyTheChicago Medalum was 21 and had just started having success in her acting career when she found out she was pregnant.“I remember I was sitting in my bedroom and I was with my boyfriend at the time and we were both pretty dumbfounded. We were shocked,“DeVitto recalled to PEOPLE in 2022. “I think the two of us just didn’t know what to do and I remember feeling like really dizzy. I was in this surreal moment and I was like, How did this happen? What do I do?“She and her boyfriend agreed that an abortion was the right choice for them, and she flew to Michigan, where her mom lived, for the procedure. But though she initially kept quiet about it, fearing the stigma, DeVitto tells PEOPLE she has “reclaimed” her voice about it.“Now that I’m older and more aware of the world and don’t really give a s— what people think anymore, especially the opposite sex trying to control my rights, I’ve really taken ownership and feel like this is my story,” she says. “And if you don’t like it, you can see yourself out the door, because it just doesn’t matter to me anymore. I know in my heart of hearts, I made the best decision.”

08of 57

Torrey DeVitto

Tibrina Hobson/Getty

TheChicago Medalum was 21 and had just started having success in her acting career when she found out she was pregnant.

“I remember I was sitting in my bedroom and I was with my boyfriend at the time and we were both pretty dumbfounded. We were shocked,“DeVitto recalled to PEOPLE in 2022. “I think the two of us just didn’t know what to do and I remember feeling like really dizzy. I was in this surreal moment and I was like, How did this happen? What do I do?”

She and her boyfriend agreed that an abortion was the right choice for them, and she flew to Michigan, where her mom lived, for the procedure. But though she initially kept quiet about it, fearing the stigma, DeVitto tells PEOPLE she has “reclaimed” her voice about it.

“Now that I’m older and more aware of the world and don’t really give a s— what people think anymore, especially the opposite sex trying to control my rights, I’ve really taken ownership and feel like this is my story,” she says. “And if you don’t like it, you can see yourself out the door, because it just doesn’t matter to me anymore. I know in my heart of hearts, I made the best decision.”

09of 57HalseyHalsey attends the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards.Amy Sussman/GettyThe “Without Me” singerpenned an open letterthat was published inVogueon July 1, 2022, and said abortion “saved my life.““Many people have asked me if, since carrying a child to term after years of struggling to do so, I have reconsidered my stance on abortion,” Halsey wrote. “The answer is firmly no. In fact, I have never felt more strongly about it.““My abortion saved my life and gave way for my son to have his,” Halsey continued. “Every person deserves the right to choose when, if, and how they have this dangerous and life-altering experience. I will hold my son in one arm, and fight with all my might with the other.“The pop starwelcomed son Ender Ridleywith partner Alev Aydin in July 2021.Noting that they had “miscarried three times before my 24th birthday,” the singer explained, “It seemed a cruel irony that I could get pregnant with ease but struggled to maintain a pregnancy.““One of my miscarriages required ‘aftercare,’ a gentle way of saying that I would need an abortion, because my body could not terminate the pregnancy completely on its own and I would risk going into sepsis without medical intervention,” the singer added.“During this procedure, I cried. I was afraid for myself and I was helpless. I was desperate to end the pregnancy that was threatening my life.”

09of 57

Halsey

Halsey attends the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards.Amy Sussman/Getty

The “Without Me” singerpenned an open letterthat was published inVogueon July 1, 2022, and said abortion “saved my life.”

“Many people have asked me if, since carrying a child to term after years of struggling to do so, I have reconsidered my stance on abortion,” Halsey wrote. “The answer is firmly no. In fact, I have never felt more strongly about it.”

“My abortion saved my life and gave way for my son to have his,” Halsey continued. “Every person deserves the right to choose when, if, and how they have this dangerous and life-altering experience. I will hold my son in one arm, and fight with all my might with the other.”

The pop starwelcomed son Ender Ridleywith partner Alev Aydin in July 2021.

Noting that they had “miscarried three times before my 24th birthday,” the singer explained, “It seemed a cruel irony that I could get pregnant with ease but struggled to maintain a pregnancy.”

“One of my miscarriages required ‘aftercare,’ a gentle way of saying that I would need an abortion, because my body could not terminate the pregnancy completely on its own and I would risk going into sepsis without medical intervention,” the singer added.

“During this procedure, I cried. I was afraid for myself and I was helpless. I was desperate to end the pregnancy that was threatening my life.”

10of 57Hilarie BurtonHilarie Burton.LISA O’CONNOR/AFP/GettyTheOne Tree Hillalumna shared a photo of her daughter George, 4, playing on Instagram in June 2022, recalling in the caption that she had an abortion after a pregnancy loss.“It is no secret I struggled with infertility,“she wrote.“Losing multiple pregnancies before her was traumatic. But female bodies are all different and unpredictable.“She continued, “Having an abortion after my fetus died allowed for my uterus to heal in a way that made it healthy enough to carry future pregnancies. It doesn’t matter if you use the term D&C. The official word on the hospital paperwork is abortion. That’s what it was.“Burton went on to say the “painful day” would have been “worse” if abortions were illegal “and law enforcement inspected my body to make sure I hadn’t caused my own miscarriage. Cause that’s what’s coming.""[Roe] V Wade protected my rights as a woman to have miscarriages without scrutiny,” Burton said, adding that she’s received messages from her supporters who have also suffered pregnancy losses.

10of 57

Hilarie Burton

Hilarie Burton.LISA O’CONNOR/AFP/Getty

TheOne Tree Hillalumna shared a photo of her daughter George, 4, playing on Instagram in June 2022, recalling in the caption that she had an abortion after a pregnancy loss.

“It is no secret I struggled with infertility,“she wrote.“Losing multiple pregnancies before her was traumatic. But female bodies are all different and unpredictable.”

She continued, “Having an abortion after my fetus died allowed for my uterus to heal in a way that made it healthy enough to carry future pregnancies. It doesn’t matter if you use the term D&C. The official word on the hospital paperwork is abortion. That’s what it was.”

Burton went on to say the “painful day” would have been “worse” if abortions were illegal “and law enforcement inspected my body to make sure I hadn’t caused my own miscarriage. Cause that’s what’s coming.”

“[Roe] V Wade protected my rights as a woman to have miscarriages without scrutiny,” Burton said, adding that she’s received messages from her supporters who have also suffered pregnancy losses.

11of 57

Lily Allen

Lily Allen.lily allen/ instagram

12of 57

Laura Prepon

Laura Prepon.Tawni Bannister

TheOrange Is the New Blackstar revealed that she and husband Ben Fosterdecided to terminate their second pregnancy together(a year after welcoming daughter Ella) after discovering the fetus' brain and bones were not developing, and carrying it further would put her at risk.

AfterRoe v. Wadewas overturned in June 2022, she further opened up about the experience, writing on Instagram, “One of the worst days of my life was when I made the choice to terminate a pregnancy in the second trimester.”

“The devastating truth is that we found out the fetus would not survive to full term, and that my life was at risk as well,” she explained. “At the time — I had the choice.”

Prepon continued, “Everyone has their own story for seeking out this medical procedure and I empathize with anyone who’s been faced with this impossible decision.”

“I am praying for all of us, that we can get through this challenging time and regain agency over our own bodies,“she concluded.

13of 57

Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno.Michael Kovac/Getty

The 90-year-old toldVarietythat although abortion was illegal at the time, the late Brando “found a doctor through some friends,” adding: “He was a real doctor — Marlon paid him $500 — as opposed to something in a back alley.”

She later suffered bleeding and learned that the abortion was incomplete.

“Marlon took me to the hospital. I had what they told me was a ‘disturbed pregnancy,'” Moreno recalled. “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 died. What a mess. What a dreadful mess.”

14of 57

Jill Zarin

Jill Zarin.Andrew H. Walker/Getty

“I had an abortion when I was in my late teens,” she said on Instagram. “And my life would have been so dramatically affected. It was my right to choose, and how dare anybody take that right away from me. I just … we’re going to have to go vote. We’re going to have to get judges who believe women have the right to choose.”

15of 57Brandi GlanvilleBrandi Glanville.TheReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsstar was onWatch What Happens Live!alongside Jill Zarin when the subject of Zarin’s Instagram post came up. When hostAndy Cohenasked Glanville if she had an abortion, she confirmed that she had, when she was 17.On Twitter, Glanville elaborated further on her story, writing “I don’t have any shame about my abortion & thank God I had a choice. I was 17 a senior in high school I was in an emotionally abusive relationship and I was on birth control pills and I still became pregnant. I had a choice & I was still a child myself.”

15of 57

Brandi Glanville

Brandi Glanville.

TheReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsstar was onWatch What Happens Live!alongside Jill Zarin when the subject of Zarin’s Instagram post came up. When hostAndy Cohenasked Glanville if she had an abortion, she confirmed that she had, when she was 17.

On Twitter, Glanville elaborated further on her story, writing “I don’t have any shame about my abortion & thank God I had a choice. I was 17 a senior in high school I was in an emotionally abusive relationship and I was on birth control pills and I still became pregnant. I had a choice & I was still a child myself.”

16of 57Cheryl BurkeCheryl Burke.Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesTheDancing with the Starspro took to TikTok after Friday’s decision to discussthe abortion she had at 18, explaining that she “wouldn’t have been a great mother” and “was going through a really huge transition” at the time.“I was practicing safe sex. I was using protection and I was on birth control and s— happens,” she said. “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.“Added Burke: “It’s nobody’s business and honestly, I’m happy that I made that decision. I have no regrets, there’s no shame behind it. I’ve just chosen to share it now, but that doesn’t mean that there was any shame.”

16of 57

Cheryl Burke

Cheryl Burke.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

TheDancing with the Starspro took to TikTok after Friday’s decision to discussthe abortion she had at 18, explaining that she “wouldn’t have been a great mother” and “was going through a really huge transition” at the time.

“I was practicing safe sex. I was using protection and I was on birth control and s— happens,” she said. “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.”

Added Burke: “It’s nobody’s business and honestly, I’m happy that I made that decision. I have no regrets, there’s no shame behind it. I’ve just chosen to share it now, but that doesn’t mean that there was any shame.”

17of 57Phoebe BridgersPhoebe Bridgers attends the 2022 Met Gala.GettyAfter news broke in May 2022 that the Supreme Courtplanned to vote to overturnRoe V. Wade,Bridgers posted on her Instagram Story about her abortion.“I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour,” she wrote. “I went to planned parenthood where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access.” She then added a link with places to donate to help other women have access when in need.

17of 57

Phoebe Bridgers

Phoebe Bridgers attends the 2022 Met Gala.Getty

After news broke in May 2022 that the Supreme Courtplanned to vote to overturnRoe V. Wade,Bridgers posted on her Instagram Story about her abortion.

“I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour,” she wrote. “I went to planned parenthood where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access.” She then added a link with places to donate to help other women have access when in need.

18of 57Ginger ZeeGinger Zee.Roy Rochlin/WireImageIn her memoir, theGood Morning Americameteorologist opened up about the mental health challenges she faced after getting an abortion early in her career, in hopes of reducing the stigma around both for women going forward."[The day after my abortion] is when the epitome of shame and the hormonal drop-off started coming together, and my inability to share with others — because I told no one. I mean, I had one person in my life that knew what had gone on, and I was telling nobody else,“she toldThe Washington Post. “That isolation is what led me to, I think, in part, the darkest days of my life. And they just kept getting darker. And I do think that hormones were part of it, but I think that the guilt and shame were what overtook me.“Now, she said, she is willing to be open about it because she’s healed from the trauma and wants to help others. “I really want to tell my story, because I know that it is going to help someone else and impact someone else,” she added.

18of 57

Ginger Zee

Ginger Zee.Roy Rochlin/WireImage

In her memoir, theGood Morning Americameteorologist opened up about the mental health challenges she faced after getting an abortion early in her career, in hopes of reducing the stigma around both for women going forward.

“[The day after my abortion] is when the epitome of shame and the hormonal drop-off started coming together, and my inability to share with others — because I told no one. I mean, I had one person in my life that knew what had gone on, and I was telling nobody else,“she toldThe Washington Post. “That isolation is what led me to, I think, in part, the darkest days of my life. And they just kept getting darker. And I do think that hormones were part of it, but I think that the guilt and shame were what overtook me.”

Now, she said, she is willing to be open about it because she’s healed from the trauma and wants to help others. “I really want to tell my story, because I know that it is going to help someone else and impact someone else,” she added.

19of 57Ashley JuddAshley Judd.At the 2019 Women in the World summit,the actress revealed that one of her three rapes had resulted in conception, and she had been grateful to have had the option to terminate that pregnancy.“I’m very thankful I was able to access safe and legal abortion. Because the rapist, 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 rapist,” she said. “Having safe access to abortion was personally important to me and, as I said earlier, democracy starts with our skin. We’re not supposed to regulate what we choose to do with our insides.”

19of 57

Ashley Judd

Ashley Judd.

At the 2019 Women in the World summit,the actress revealed that one of her three rapes had resulted in conception, and she had been grateful to have had the option to terminate that pregnancy.

“I’m very thankful I was able to access safe and legal abortion. Because the rapist, 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 rapist,” she said. “Having safe access to abortion was personally important to me and, as I said earlier, democracy starts with our skin. We’re not supposed to regulate what we choose to do with our insides.”

20of 57

Ireland Baldwin

Ireland Baldwin attends the premiere of YouTube Original’s “Justin Bieber: Seasons”.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

In a TikTok video she posted on June 26, 2022, captioned “I’m here for you,” the model spoke about her own experiences, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturnRoe v. Wade.

Baldwin revealed, “I was raped when I was a teenager and I was completely unconscious when it happened and it changed the course of the rest of my life.”

Baldwin went on to say she didn’t tell “anyone” except for a nurse who treated her shortly after it happened, including her boyfriend at the time or even her parents, Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin.

“I kept that secret inside of me for years, and because I did, it caused a lot of hurt and a lot of pain to me and to people I love,” she said.

Later in her life, Baldwin said, she got pregnant unexpectedly with her boyfriend at the time, whom she was “very unhappy” with, “and he made it pretty clear that he never wanted kids or marriage. He barely wanted to be in a serious relationship.”

“I chose to get an abortion because I know exactly what it felt like to be born between two people who hated each other,” she shared.

“I chose me, and I would choose me again. It’s your life, it’s your choice,” she concluded.

21of 57Amanda de CadenetAmanda de Cadenet.VS CollectiveWhile six weeks pregnant more than 10 years ago, de Cadenet says her safety was suddenly at risk due to an incomplete miscarriage. She began to lose blood unexpectedly and was at risk of a life-threatening infection. Doctors said she would need to have a procedure to remove the remaining fetal tissue.On her Instagram in June 2022, she posted a black-and-white photo of herself in a hospital bed with the message, “This is me in the ER room in 2003.““I was 6 weeks pregnant and hemorrhaged so badly on a flight from LA to NYC I had to be taken off the plane in a wheelchair. I went straight to the hospital, where I was given an ultrasound and told I had an ‘incomplete miscarriage’. The only objective at that point was to stop me losing more blood.“She continued, “The treatment for a miscarriage that your body won’t release is classified as an abortion if there is a heartbeat or a D&C if there isn’t. I’m so grateful the E.R team along with myself and then boyfriend (now my husband ) could immediately make the choice that prioritised my safety without having to consider if the procedure was illegal, and if the Dr would be prosecuted for making sure I was safe.““That choice is now not an option in at least nine states, with trigger laws in others set to take effect in the coming days,” de Cadenet concluded, along with the hashtag “#BansOffOurBodies.”

21of 57

Amanda de Cadenet

Amanda de Cadenet.VS Collective

While six weeks pregnant more than 10 years ago, de Cadenet says her safety was suddenly at risk due to an incomplete miscarriage. She began to lose blood unexpectedly and was at risk of a life-threatening infection. Doctors said she would need to have a procedure to remove the remaining fetal tissue.

On her Instagram in June 2022, she posted a black-and-white photo of herself in a hospital bed with the message, “This is me in the ER room in 2003.”

“I was 6 weeks pregnant and hemorrhaged so badly on a flight from LA to NYC I had to be taken off the plane in a wheelchair. I went straight to the hospital, where I was given an ultrasound and told I had an ‘incomplete miscarriage’. The only objective at that point was to stop me losing more blood.”

She continued, “The treatment for a miscarriage that your body won’t release is classified as an abortion if there is a heartbeat or a D&C if there isn’t. I’m so grateful the E.R team along with myself and then boyfriend (now my husband ) could immediately make the choice that prioritised my safety without having to consider if the procedure was illegal, and if the Dr would be prosecuted for making sure I was safe.”

“That choice is now not an option in at least nine states, with trigger laws in others set to take effect in the coming days,” de Cadenet concluded, along with the hashtag “#BansOffOurBodies.”

22of 57Meadow WalkerMeadow Walker.Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC ImagesThe daughter of the late Paul Walker revealed that shehad an abortion in 2020, opening up about the experience in an Instagram post.The 23-year-old sympathized with other women who’ve struggled with the decision to get an abortion. “I too have battled with the choice but in 2020, when the world was collapsing during the pandemic, I sought an abortion.““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,” Walker added.

22of 57

Meadow Walker

Meadow Walker.Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

The daughter of the late Paul Walker revealed that shehad an abortion in 2020, opening up about the experience in an Instagram post.

The 23-year-old sympathized with other women who’ve struggled with the decision to get an abortion. “I too have battled with the choice but in 2020, when the world was collapsing during the pandemic, I sought an abortion.”

“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,” Walker added.

23of 57

Debbie Reynolds

Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic.

She was finally allowed to have the fetus removed after “some board” agreed that Reynolds was experiencing serious health complications, only to have the exact same thing happen to her with her subsequent pregnancy.

24of 57

Uma Thurman

Uma Thurman attends the 2020 National Board of Review Gala.Gotham/FilmMagic

“[It] caused me anguish then and that saddens me even now, but it was the path to the life full of joy and love that I have experienced,” Thurman, now a mom of three, wrote. “Choosing not to keep that early pregnancy allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted and needed to be.”

25of 57Katie Maloney-SchwartzKatie Maloney-Schwartz.Ari Perilstein/GettyOnVanderpump Rules,the star and her now-estranged husband Tom Schwartz visited a fertility clinic, which led them to discuss an abortion Katie had about 10 years ago, in the very early days of their relationship.“I knew I wanted to have kids,” Katie said on the show. “But I just knew that was not the time in my life.“The couple has no regrets now, with Tom saying they “made the decision at the time,” and now they’re fully ready and committed to be parents.Most importantly, Katie says: “Everyone, every woman, every person should be able to decide what’s best for them.”

25of 57

Katie Maloney-Schwartz

Katie Maloney-Schwartz.Ari Perilstein/Getty

OnVanderpump Rules,the star and her now-estranged husband Tom Schwartz visited a fertility clinic, which led them to discuss an abortion Katie had about 10 years ago, in the very early days of their relationship.

“I knew I wanted to have kids,” Katie said on the show. “But I just knew that was not the time in my life.”

The couple has no regrets now, with Tom saying they “made the decision at the time,” and now they’re fully ready and committed to be parents.

Most importantly, Katie says: “Everyone, every woman, every person should be able to decide what’s best for them.”

26of 57

April Love Geary

April Love Geary.April Love Geary/Instagram

The model, who has three kids with fiancé Robin Thicke, said she decided to speak out after getting critical messages on Instagram.

She opened up a bit moreabout her story in early 2021, saying on her Instagram stories, “I knew I wouldn’t be able to provide a good life for this child. It just wasn’t the right time for me. I don’t regret it.”

“Do what you gotta do,” she added. “It’s your body. It’s your life.”

27of 57Lala KentLala Kent.Ethan Miller/GettyIn her 2021 bookGive Them Lala, theVanderpump Rulesstar shared that she terminated an unplanned pregnancy in her early 20s, because “it was not the right situation to bring an innocent life into.“She initially wasn’t sure whether she should include it, but in the end it was important to her to normalize the conversation and break the stigma.“I ping-ponged back and forth [about whether to share it] and finally it was like, this is something that needs to be spoken about,“she toldET. “And I feel like we are where we are in this world because people are so nervous to talk about things that make them uncomfortable. So we’re mentioning it, we’re talking about it and people can love it, hate it, or learn something from it. It is what it is.”

27of 57

Lala Kent

Lala Kent.Ethan Miller/Getty

In her 2021 bookGive Them Lala, theVanderpump Rulesstar shared that she terminated an unplanned pregnancy in her early 20s, because “it was not the right situation to bring an innocent life into.”

She initially wasn’t sure whether she should include it, but in the end it was important to her to normalize the conversation and break the stigma.

“I ping-ponged back and forth [about whether to share it] and finally it was like, this is something that needs to be spoken about,“she toldET. “And I feel like we are where we are in this world because people are so nervous to talk about things that make them uncomfortable. So we’re mentioning it, we’re talking about it and people can love it, hate it, or learn something from it. It is what it is.”

28of 57Stevie NicksStevie Nicks.Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagicIn response tothe Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett,the iconic singer opened up toThe Guardianabout her “generation’s fight” for legal and safe abortions —as well as her own pregnancy termination in 1979.“If I had not had that abortion, I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac,” Nicks said. “There’s just no way that I could have had a child then, working as hard as we worked constantly. I would have had to walk away.“Now in her 70s, Nicks never had children — but she has no regrets. “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’s not another band in the world that has two lead women singers, two lead women writers.’ That was my world’s mission.”

28of 57

Stevie Nicks

Stevie Nicks.Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic

In response tothe Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett,the iconic singer opened up toThe Guardianabout her “generation’s fight” for legal and safe abortions —as well as her own pregnancy termination in 1979.

“If I had not had that abortion, I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac,” Nicks said. “There’s just no way that I could have had a child then, working as hard as we worked constantly. I would have had to walk away.”

Now in her 70s, Nicks never had children — but she has no regrets. “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’s not another band in the world that has two lead women singers, two lead women writers.’ That was my world’s mission.”

29of 57

Alyssa Milano

Alyssa Milano.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

The actress revealed that shechose to have two abortionsmore than 25 years ago on an episode of her podcast,Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry.

Milano shared her personal experience with abortion — which she says happened twice in 1993, within months of one another, when she was in her early 20s.

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

“It was not an easy choice,” she continued. “It was not something I wanted, but it was something that I needed, like most health care is.”

30of 57

The Australian comedian shared her stance on Alabama’s controversial abortion law before revealing that she had an abortion after surviving rape.

“They’re getting away with it because they’ve got into the branding really well. It’s not ‘pro-life,'” she said during her 2019VarietyPride Issue cover story. “What a stupid f— statement! I’m ‘pro-life,’ but I had an abortion. That sits very comfortably in my head as a duality.”

31of 57Keke PalmerKeke Palmer attends 2017 BMI R&B/ Hip-Hop Award.Paras Griffin/GettyPalmer said she felt “disheartened” about alaw passed in Alabama that effectively bans abortion.The actress tweetedthat she decided to get an abortion because it was not a good time in her life to raise a child.“I was worried about my career responsibilities and afraid that I could not exist as both a career woman and mother,” she tweeted, theLos Angeles Timesreported.Palmer has since deleted the tweet, and explained that the topic may have been too nuanced to express on Twitter.“Twitter is sometimes too flat and too short to express intimate sentiments. Words without context, very annoying,” she wrote in a new tweet. “I am disheartened about hearing the news in Alabama. I feel as if women rights laws are going backwards. Individual choice is being taken. I’m truly so confused at the world [right now] and the policies that follow.“Palmer also added #youknowme to the end of her tweet,the hashtag Busy Philipps startedto encourage women to share their abortion stories.TheBerlin Stationstar also said that her or anyone else’s decision to have an abortion does not affect their religious beliefs.“Making individual choices is not a betrayal to your faith,” she said. “Mainly, because God knows your heart and your journey. God never judges. I hate that it’s always a this vs that, instead of an ‘I understand YOUR PERSPECTIVE.'”

31of 57

Keke Palmer

Keke Palmer attends 2017 BMI R&B/ Hip-Hop Award.Paras Griffin/Getty

Palmer said she felt “disheartened” about alaw passed in Alabama that effectively bans abortion.

The actress tweetedthat she decided to get an abortion because it was not a good time in her life to raise a child.

“I was worried about my career responsibilities and afraid that I could not exist as both a career woman and mother,” she tweeted, theLos Angeles Timesreported.

Palmer has since deleted the tweet, and explained that the topic may have been too nuanced to express on Twitter.

“Twitter is sometimes too flat and too short to express intimate sentiments. Words without context, very annoying,” she wrote in a new tweet. “I am disheartened about hearing the news in Alabama. I feel as if women rights laws are going backwards. Individual choice is being taken. I’m truly so confused at the world [right now] and the policies that follow.”

Palmer also added #youknowme to the end of her tweet,the hashtag Busy Philipps startedto encourage women to share their abortion stories.

TheBerlin Stationstar also said that her or anyone else’s decision to have an abortion does not affect their religious beliefs.

“Making individual choices is not a betrayal to your faith,” she said. “Mainly, because God knows your heart and your journey. God never judges. I hate that it’s always a this vs that, instead of an ‘I understand YOUR PERSPECTIVE.'”

32of 57Linsey GodfreyLinsey Godfrey.Alberto E. Rodriguez/GettyAfter Busy Philipps created the #youknowme hashtag to encourage people to share their abortion stories in order to bring awareness to the fact that 1 in 4 women under 45 have had the procedure,The Bold and the Beautiful’s Godfrey used the hashtag to tell her story.“I had an abortion. I just simply wasn’t in a place, financially or emotionally to take that on,” the actress revealed on Twitter.“I was and still am glad I had that choice because that’s exactly what it was, it was my choice, my body.”

32of 57

Linsey Godfrey

Linsey Godfrey.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

After Busy Philipps created the #youknowme hashtag to encourage people to share their abortion stories in order to bring awareness to the fact that 1 in 4 women under 45 have had the procedure,The Bold and the Beautiful’s Godfrey used the hashtag to tell her story.

“I had an abortion. I just simply wasn’t in a place, financially or emotionally to take that on,” the actress revealed on Twitter.

“I was and still am glad I had that choice because that’s exactly what it was, it was my choice, my body.”

33of 57Amber TamblynAmber Tamblyn arrives at LA Film Festival Premiere of Paint It Black.David Livingston/GettyThe actress and author also used the #youknowme hashtag to share her own story.“It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. I still think about it to this day,” Tamblyn wrote on Twitter. “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.”

33of 57

Amber Tamblyn

Amber Tamblyn arrives at LA Film Festival Premiere of Paint It Black.David Livingston/Getty

The actress and author also used the #youknowme hashtag to share her own story.

“It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. I still think about it to this day,” Tamblyn wrote on Twitter. “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.”

34of 57

Tess Holliday

Tess Holliday.

The model not only used the #youknowme hashtag to share her story, but she also used it to highlight how abortions affect communities beyond cis women and heterosexual couples.

“I’m from Mississippi, living in California, married with 2 kids, & I had an abortion,” Holliday wrote on Instagram.

Holliday also quoted friend and performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon to remind her followers that abortions affect more people than just women.

“Abortion is a queer issue. Abortion is a trans issue. Abortion is a non-binary issue,” the quote stated. “A lot of people still mistakenly believe that only cis women & heterosexual people can get pregnant / have abortions & this rhetoric erases queer women, trans men, and non-binary people who have a disproportionately difficult time accessing abortions.”

She ended her post with the hashtag, “#abortionisahumanright”.

35of 57Ani DiFrancoAni DiFranco.John Parra/GettyIn an essay shared withLitHubfrom her memoirNo Walls and the Recurring Dream,the singer reflected on reproductive freedom in general as well as two abortions she herself had as a young woman.“I have had two abortions, I have borne two children,” she wrote. “I used to periodically count the ages that my first two children would’ve been if they had entered the world as such. It wasn’t that I was wistful… It was an exercise in the terrifying math of the near miss.Your life as you envisioned it could have effectively ended three, five . . . ten years ago.“She added, “Women make these calls based on so many things that men can only begin to speculate about. Every situation is unique and every woman is right when she decides what is right for herself. At the core of a belief in reproductive freedom is an affirmation of diversity. … Reproductive freedom must be understood as a civil right.”

35of 57

Ani DiFranco

Ani DiFranco.John Parra/Getty

In an essay shared withLitHubfrom her memoirNo Walls and the Recurring Dream,the singer reflected on reproductive freedom in general as well as two abortions she herself had as a young woman.

“I have had two abortions, I have borne two children,” she wrote. “I used to periodically count the ages that my first two children would’ve been if they had entered the world as such. It wasn’t that I was wistful… It was an exercise in the terrifying math of the near miss.Your life as you envisioned it could have effectively ended three, five . . . ten years ago.”

She added, “Women make these calls based on so many things that men can only begin to speculate about. Every situation is unique and every woman is right when she decides what is right for herself. At the core of a belief in reproductive freedom is an affirmation of diversity. … Reproductive freedom must be understood as a civil right.”

36of 57

Minka Kelly

Minka Kelly arrives at “Titans” DC Series World Premiere.Dominik Bindl/Getty

In response to Alabama’s controversial abortion law, which bans nearly all abortions, including for victims of rape or incest, Kelly wrote a lengthy Instagram post to share her story and to call out every member of the Alabama state senate who voted for the bill for not doing enough to protect women.

“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,” Kelly wrote, alongside a photo of all 25 Alabama state senators who voted for the bill.

Kelly maintained her stance that women’s “lives, traumas & family planning is for no one to decide but us” and asserted that if men’s bodies, health and life were called into question, “we wouldn’t be having this conversation in the first place.”

37of 57Ali MacGrawAli MacGraw.The actress, a superstar in the ’70s,made the cover of PEOPLE when she was one of several women who shared their personal experience with abortionmore than a decade afterRoe vs. Wadewas decided to illustrate how dangerous, lonely and dark procuring an abortion was for women before the ruling.“A lot of people think an abortion is something a woman does casually, like changing the color of her hair. But I defy anybody to tell me that she has had a casual abortion. There is nothing casual about it. It’s a horrific decision to make,” MacGraw said, adding that she had been using birth control correctly but it failed.“Once you made the decision to have an abortion in those days, the process became humiliating and terrifying. You started with the horror of the underground network of telephone calls. Unless you were rich, that is. It was easier to get a safe, clean abortion if you had money… It breaks down right from the beginning to economics,” she continued, before detailing her heartbreaking experience.

37of 57

Ali MacGraw

Ali MacGraw.

The actress, a superstar in the ’70s,made the cover of PEOPLE when she was one of several women who shared their personal experience with abortionmore than a decade afterRoe vs. Wadewas decided to illustrate how dangerous, lonely and dark procuring an abortion was for women before the ruling.

“A lot of people think an abortion is something a woman does casually, like changing the color of her hair. But I defy anybody to tell me that she has had a casual abortion. There is nothing casual about it. It’s a horrific decision to make,” MacGraw said, adding that she had been using birth control correctly but it failed.

“Once you made the decision to have an abortion in those days, the process became humiliating and terrifying. You started with the horror of the underground network of telephone calls. Unless you were rich, that is. It was easier to get a safe, clean abortion if you had money… It breaks down right from the beginning to economics,” she continued, before detailing her heartbreaking experience.

38of 57Busy PhilippsBusy Phillips arrives at the 2018 CFDA Fashion Awards.Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC ImagesOn an episode ofBusy Tonight, the late-night host shared her experience with abortion in response to the signing of Georgia’s controversial abortion law.“I had an abortion when I was 15 years old and I’m telling you this because I’m genuinely really scared for women and girls all over the country,” Philipps said while getting visibly emotional.“Is that a hard left turn?” she asked, comparing the topic of abortion to the regular pop culture topics on her show. “Yeah, it is. Is it kind of jarring? Yes, it is also kind of jarring. But, guess what? That’s what being a f— woman is. Having a regular Tuesday and then suddenly being reminded that people are trying to police your body. And then you just have to go back to work.“She later asked women to share their stories on Twitter, using the hashtag #youknowme.This isn’t the first time Philipps has talked about her abortion: the actress previously opened up about it in her memoirThis Will Only Hurt a Little.

38of 57

Busy Philipps

Busy Phillips arrives at the 2018 CFDA Fashion Awards.Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

On an episode ofBusy Tonight, the late-night host shared her experience with abortion in response to the signing of Georgia’s controversial abortion law.

“I had an abortion when I was 15 years old and I’m telling you this because I’m genuinely really scared for women and girls all over the country,” Philipps said while getting visibly emotional.

“Is that a hard left turn?” she asked, comparing the topic of abortion to the regular pop culture topics on her show. “Yeah, it is. Is it kind of jarring? Yes, it is also kind of jarring. But, guess what? That’s what being a f— woman is. Having a regular Tuesday and then suddenly being reminded that people are trying to police your body. And then you just have to go back to work.”

She later asked women to share their stories on Twitter, using the hashtag #youknowme.

This isn’t the first time Philipps has talked about her abortion: the actress previously opened up about it in her memoirThis Will Only Hurt a Little.

39of 57

Jameela Jamil

Jameela Jamil arrives at the 24th Annual Critics Choice Awards.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Jamil shared her story on Twitter, also in response to the Georgia bill.

40of 57Milla JovovichMilla Jovovich.Dia Dipasupil/GettyThe actress shared her storyon Instagram in May 2019 as a response to the Georgia bill, too.“I don’t like to get political,” she wrote, opening up about her 2017 “emergency” abortion. “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.““I spiraled into one of the worst depressions of my life and had to work extremely hard to find my way out,” she continued. “I took time off of my career. I isolated myself for months and had to keep a strong face for my two amazing kids.““Abortion is a nightmare at its best. No woman wants to go through that. But we have to fight to make sure our rights are preserved to obtain a safe one if we need to,” she said.“I never wanted to speak about this experience. But I cannot remain silent when so much is at stake. #prochoice #prochoicegeneration.”

40of 57

Milla Jovovich

Milla Jovovich.Dia Dipasupil/Getty

The actress shared her storyon Instagram in May 2019 as a response to the Georgia bill, too.

“I don’t like to get political,” she wrote, opening up about her 2017 “emergency” abortion. “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.”

“I spiraled into one of the worst depressions of my life and had to work extremely hard to find my way out,” she continued. “I took time off of my career. I isolated myself for months and had to keep a strong face for my two amazing kids.”

“Abortion is a nightmare at its best. No woman wants to go through that. But we have to fight to make sure our rights are preserved to obtain a safe one if we need to,” she said.

“I never wanted to speak about this experience. But I cannot remain silent when so much is at stake. #prochoice #prochoicegeneration.”

41of 57

Nicki Minaj

In a 2014 interview withRolling Stone, the rapper said she thought she “was going to die” when she discovered she was pregnant as a teen.

“It was the hardest thing I’d ever gone through,” she said of having an abortion. “[It’s] haunted me all my life. 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.”

She alluded to the experience in a track on her album,The Pinkprint.

42of 57Joan CollinsJoan Collins arrives at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.Jon Kopaloff/WireImageTheDynastystar opened up about why she never regretted having an abortion after she got pregnant in her mid-20s with then-fiancé Warren Beatty.“It would have been absolute career death for me to have done that… it would have been unthinkable to have a child,” she told Piers Morgan in a 2010 interview.“He didn’t have any money, I had nothing, and I believe if you are going to bring a child into the world that you have to have a responsibility to that child,” she added.

42of 57

Joan Collins

Joan Collins arrives at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.Jon Kopaloff/WireImage

TheDynastystar opened up about why she never regretted having an abortion after she got pregnant in her mid-20s with then-fiancé Warren Beatty.

“It would have been absolute career death for me to have done that… it would have been unthinkable to have a child,” she told Piers Morgan in a 2010 interview.

“He didn’t have any money, I had nothing, and I believe if you are going to bring a child into the world that you have to have a responsibility to that child,” she added.

43of 57Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg arrives at “Nobody’s Fool” New York Premiere.Dominik Bindl/GettyThe View’s Goldberg wrote about her teenage abortion experience in an essay for Angela Bonavoglia’sThe Choices We Made.“I found out I was pregnant when I was fourteen,” she wrote. “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 Johnny 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.”

43of 57

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg arrives at “Nobody’s Fool” New York Premiere.Dominik Bindl/Getty

The View’s Goldberg wrote about her teenage abortion experience in an essay for Angela Bonavoglia’sThe Choices We Made.

“I found out I was pregnant when I was fourteen,” she wrote. “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 Johnny 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.”

44of 57

Chelsea Handler

Chelsea Handler arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere of Take Every Wave.Michael Kovac/Getty

In a personal essay forPlayboy’s “Freedom Issue,” Handler opened up about two abortions she had at age 16.

In a new revelation, she explained that she got pregnant once again later that year and was barely able to afford another $230, the cost of an abortion at Planned Parenthood.

“Getting unintentionally pregnant more than once is irresponsible, but it’s still necessary to make a thoughtful decision,” Handler wrote. “We all make mistakes all the time. I happened to f— up twice at the age of 16. 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.”

45of 57

Margaret Cho

Margaret Cho.Maarten de Boer/Getty

The comedian has included the topic of abortion in her standup routines in the past, but now she’s revealing why.

“I don’t care what your views are toward abortion, I just think women should be talking about it.”

She also 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.”

46of 57Gloria SteinemGloria Steinem.Courtesy Gloria SteinemThe feminist activist got very candid in an interview with NPR’sFresh Airhost Terry Gross on becoming pregnant at 22 and having an abortion before it was legal.“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 explained. “I am the most cowardly person you can imagine, physically speaking, but I did [throw myself down stairs] … I was desperate. I really was desperate. I just knew that if I went home and married, which I would’ve had to do, it would be to the wrong person; it would be to a life that wasn’t mine, that wasn’t mine at all.”

46of 57

Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem.Courtesy Gloria Steinem

The feminist activist got very candid in an interview with NPR’sFresh Airhost Terry Gross on becoming pregnant at 22 and having an abortion before it was legal.

“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 explained. “I am the most cowardly person you can imagine, physically speaking, but I did [throw myself down stairs] … I was desperate. I really was desperate. I just knew that if I went home and married, which I would’ve had to do, it would be to the wrong person; it would be to a life that wasn’t mine, that wasn’t mine at all.”

47of 57Maureen McCormickMaureen McCormick.Mike Pont/WireImageThe actress, best known for her role as Marcia onThe Brady Bunch,wrote about her experience with abortion in her memoirHere’s the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice,and spoke to PEOPLE about how her honesty helped her bond with her daughter Natalie.“When I told her I had two abortions, her mouth dropped open. But then she looked at me and said, ‘I know you’re telling me this so I don’t have to go through the same misery you went through,'“McCormick said.“We had tears in our eyes and would just hug and hug.”

47of 57

Maureen McCormick

Maureen McCormick.Mike Pont/WireImage

The actress, best known for her role as Marcia onThe Brady Bunch,wrote about her experience with abortion in her memoirHere’s the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice,and spoke to PEOPLE about how her honesty helped her bond with her daughter Natalie.

“When I told her I had two abortions, her mouth dropped open. But then she looked at me and said, ‘I know you’re telling me this so I don’t have to go through the same misery you went through,'“McCormick said.

“We had tears in our eyes and would just hug and hug.”

48of 57Rosanna ArquetteRosanna Arquette.In the wake of Alabama signing their abortion ban into law, the actress responded on Twitter: “I’ve had a couple of abortions in my life. It was my decision and Each time it was very sad ,hard and painful.But It was my choice and I was lucky to have good care. no one has the right to take away a women’s right to choose what’s best for her.”

48of 57

Rosanna Arquette

Rosanna Arquette.

In the wake of Alabama signing their abortion ban into law, the actress responded on Twitter: “I’ve had a couple of abortions in my life. It was my decision and Each time it was very sad ,hard and painful.

But It was my choice and I was lucky to have good care. no one has the right to take away a women’s right to choose what’s best for her.”

49of 57

Sharon Osbourne

Sharon Osbourne.David Livingston/Getty Images

Studies show that the majority of abortions are safe and effective, with rare complications, butThe Talkcohost has said “something happened” during the procedure she had when she was 17 that has come back to “haunt” her.

“I had an abortion at 17 and it was the worst thing I ever did. It was the first time I’d had sex, and that was rotten. I’d always thought it was going to be all violins, and it was just awful,” she told theDaily Mailin a 2004 interview.

Osbourne told her mother after realizing two months in that she was pregnant and without hesitation, her mother responded, “You have to get rid of it.”

“She told me where the clinic was, then virtually pushed me off. She was so angry. She said I’d got myself in this mess, now she had to get me out,” Osbourne continued.

“But she didn’t come. 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. I howled my way through it, and it was horrible,” she added.

“I would never recommend it to anyone because it comes back to haunt you. When I tried to have children, I lost three — I think it was because something had happened to my cervix during the abortion. After three miscarriages, they had to put a stitch in it.”

50of 57Sherri ShepherdSherri Shepherd.David Livingston/Getty ImagesIn a heated debate over abortion onThe View, Shepherd got real with her cohosts to explain why women need to have the option if their circumstances are not right to raise a child.“I’m speaking as a girl who has had a lot of abortions, and if they had showed me a fetus, I probably wouldn’t have but 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,” she said.

50of 57

Sherri Shepherd

Sherri Shepherd.David Livingston/Getty Images

In a heated debate over abortion onThe View, Shepherd got real with her cohosts to explain why women need to have the option if their circumstances are not right to raise a child.

“I’m speaking as a girl who has had a lot of abortions, and if they had showed me a fetus, I probably wouldn’t have but 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,” she said.

51of 57

Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King.Courtesy Citizen

Before her career took off, the tennis champion opened up about why she had an abortion during a hectic and confusing time in her life.

“The reason I had an abortion is because I was not in a good place,” she explained during an interview withMakers.

King added, “If you bring a child into the world, then to me, he or she takes, they’re first, that’s it, done. I did not want the child to be born under the circumstances I was in.”

52of 57

Jemima Kirke

Jemima Kirke.Dia Dipasupil/Getty

“In 2007, I became pregnant with my boyfriend at the time. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be attached to this person for the rest of my life. My life was just not conducive to raising a healthy, happy child. I just didn’t feel it was fair,” she said. “So, I decided to get an abortion and I went to Planned Parenthood in Providence, Rhode Island, where I was at school.”

Kirke continued to explain how she had to empty her checking account to pay for the abortion and how the experience made her realize the importance of being able to talk about reproductive issues freely.

“I still see shame and embarrassment around terminating pregnancies, getting pregnant, I still see it,” she said. “So I have always been open about my stories, especially with other women.”

53of 57

Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams.Paul Zimmerman/WireImage

The actress went onNightlineto discussYou Have No Idea, her 2013 joint memoir with her mother Helen. During the interview, Williams revealed two secrets she kept from her mother, up until they started writing the book together.

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

54of 57Lil’ KimLil’ Kim.Arturo Holmes/GettyIn 2000, the rapper toldThe Washington Postshe had an abortion and wrote about it in her song “Hold On.““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,” she toldThe Washington Post. “I talk about the things that women have gone through that they don’t think I’ve gone through.“The lyrics to the song, rumored to be about her relationship with the late Biggie Smalls, include “I believed that meeting you would be my destiny. Your love would come to set me free, so why am I left standing here alone. Won’t you please come and take me home.”

54of 57

Lil’ Kim

Lil’ Kim.Arturo Holmes/Getty

In 2000, the rapper toldThe Washington Postshe had an abortion and wrote about it in her song “Hold On.”

“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,” she toldThe Washington Post. “I talk about the things that women have gone through that they don’t think I’ve gone through.”

The lyrics to the song, rumored to be about her relationship with the late Biggie Smalls, include “I believed that meeting you would be my destiny. Your love would come to set me free, so why am I left standing here alone. Won’t you please come and take me home.”

55of 57Naya RiveraNaya Rivera.David Livingston/Getty ImagesThe lateGleeactress penned an essay forUSA Todayto discuss the story behind her abortion and why she decided to write about it in her 2016 memoir,Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up.“I knew that in sharing my story, I would be judged for the decision I made. But I wanted to let other women facing the same difficult decision know that they weren’t alone,” she wrote, adding that she also did it in tribute to her grandmother Clara Esther White, who spent “more than five years counseling women through their decision to terminate their pregnancies,” and her mother, who was also involved in everything from counseling to sterilizing equipment.

55of 57

Naya Rivera

Naya Rivera.David Livingston/Getty Images

The lateGleeactress penned an essay forUSA Todayto discuss the story behind her abortion and why she decided to write about it in her 2016 memoir,Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up.

“I knew that in sharing my story, I would be judged for the decision I made. But I wanted to let other women facing the same difficult decision know that they weren’t alone,” she wrote, adding that she also did it in tribute to her grandmother Clara Esther White, who spent “more than five years counseling women through their decision to terminate their pregnancies,” and her mother, who was also involved in everything from counseling to sterilizing equipment.

56of 57

Rose McGowan

Rose McGowan.David M. Benett/Getty

“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,” she wrote.

“I realized I could not bring a child into my world and simultaneously change the world. 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. Have you had to make a choice? Let’s talk and use hashtag #HonestAbortion.”

57of 57Donna KaranDonna Karan.In 2015, the groundbreaking womenswear designer told HuffPost Live that in 1975, she became pregnant while married but having an affair, and didn’t know whose child it was.“I said, ‘I can’t even fathom doing this,’ and abortion had just been legalized — it was that week,” she recalled, saying that her husband at the time supported her decision to terminate the pregnancy.“I know so many times that women really go, ‘What do I do? How do I handle this?’ and I wanted to show that I’m with them,” she said. “I totally understand what it’s like — I went through it.”

57of 57

Donna Karan

Donna Karan.

In 2015, the groundbreaking womenswear designer told HuffPost Live that in 1975, she became pregnant while married but having an affair, and didn’t know whose child it was.

“I said, ‘I can’t even fathom doing this,’ and abortion had just been legalized — it was that week,” she recalled, saying that her husband at the time supported her decision to terminate the pregnancy.

“I know so many times that women really go, ‘What do I do? How do I handle this?’ and I wanted to show that I’m with them,” she said. “I totally understand what it’s like — I went through it.”

source: people.com