Halsey Is Latest Celebrity To Share Abortion Story In Wake Of Dobbs’ Ruling

Topline

After the Supreme Court repealed the constitutional right to an abortion last month, a growing number of celebrities have spoken out in protest of the ruling about abortions they’ve had, including Halsey, Rita Moreno and Ireland Baldwin.

Key Facts

In an essay for Vogue, singer Halsey said she had an abortion after her body miscarried a pregnancy, saying the procedure “saved my life and gave way for my son to have his.”

Actress Rita Moreno, 91, said she had an abortion before the procedure became legal in 1973, when she became pregnant by Marlon Brando: “The doctor didn’t do anything really, except make me bleed… I didn’t know it then, but I could have died,” she told Variety.

Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger’s daughter Ireland said she had an abortion after becoming pregnant by a boyfriend who wasn’t interested in being serious or having a family, and said she “chose me and would choose me again.”

Singer Lily Allen—who recently sang in protest of the ruling with Olivia Rodrigo—shared on Instagram she had an abortion because she “didn’t want to have a fucking baby,” and said that was enough justification for having the procedure.

Real Housewives stars Jill Zarin and Brandi Glanville both spoke out about abortions they had as teens, with New York’s Zarin saying, “It was my choice, and I don’t know how my life would have been different today.”

Comedian Chelsea Handler, who has previously said she had multiple abortions, joked while hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live last week, “this planet is a much safer place without me polluting it with my children.”

When a draft of the ruling was leaked in May, singer Phoebe Bridgers said she had an abortion while on tour last year at Planned Parenthood, and stated “everyone deserves that kind of access.”

Contra

The View co-host Sunny Hostin garnered headlines last week when she said she does not believe in abortions “at any time,” including in the case of incest. “It’s because I’m Catholic and that’s my faith,” Hostin said. However, she disagrees with the Supreme Court’s ruling, saying “they should not be deciding the law based on their faith.” The Middle actress Patricia Heaton hit at Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) on Twitter after Roe was struck down, arguing that crisis pregnancy centers “now have to hire armed security” in the wake of a bill the lawmaker sponsored to stop such centers from “mislead[ing] and deceiv[ing] patients seeking abortion care.”

Big Number

24%. That’s how many women in the U.S. will have an abortion by the age of 45, according to the Guttmacher Institute, based on 2014 abortion data.

Key Background

Actress Busy Philipps, who previously revealed she had an abortion at age 15, was arrested last week outside of the Supreme Court while protesting the ruling. As abortion laws have become more restrictive in some states over the last few years, sharing an experience having an abortion to to de-stigmatize the procedure has become more common, with stars like Uma Thurman, Stevie Knicks, Keke Palmer and Amber Tamblyn doing so.

Further Reading

46 Celebrities Who Have Had Abortions—And Spoken Out About Them (Glamor)