Celebrities Who Have Shared Their Abortion Stories

Uma Thurman

In 2021, Uma Thurman wrote a powerful op-ed in The Washington Post detailing her abortion at age 15. Just starting her career, she didn’t have the stability to raise a child, and her family agreed termination was the best choice. She described the procedure as painful—both physically and emotionally. She also admitted carrying the shame for decades. But Thurman chose to speak out in protest of restrictive abortion laws. Now a mother of three, the actress says the choice allowed her to build the family she wanted later in life, when she was ready.

Kerry Washington

In her memoir ‘Thicker Than Water,’ Kerry Washington shared that she had an abortion in her 20s after a romantic encounter resulted in unplanned pregnancy. Sure, the actress worried about judgment and privacy, but she realized her experience was central to understanding her growth. Washington recounted that she gave doctors a fake name during the procedure to protect her privacy. Now a mother of three, she says abortion shouldn’t be taboo. “It’s important to me that abortion is not a bad word,” she explained. Her decision to speak out was fueled by the urgent fight for reproductive rights.

Rita Moreno

Oscar winner Rita Moreno revealed in her memoir that she had a harrowing abortion in her 20s while dating Marlon Brando. Because abortion was illegal, Brando arranged for a doctor, but the procedure was botched, leaving Moreno hospitalized. “I could have died,” she recalled. Moreno said she was “jubilant” when Roe v. Wade passed in 1973, but devastated when it was overturned decades later. Concerned for young women today, she says the ruling has reawakened her activism. “We loud mouths are going to have to get busy,” she told Variety, calling for continued fight for reproductive rights.

Ashley Judd

At the 2019 Women in the World summit, Ashley Judd revealed she is a three-time sexual assault survivor, and one of those incidents resulted in pregnancy. “I’m very thankful I was able to access safe and legal abortion,” she said. Without it, she explained, she would have been forced to co-parent with the criminal due to laws in Kentucky and Tennessee granting paternal rights. Judd’s story underscores how abortion access can protect survivors from lifelong trauma. “Democracy starts with our skin,” she said. “We’re not supposed to regulate what we choose to do with our insides.”

Joan Collins

Joan Collins has been clear that she never regretted her decision to have an abortion in her 20s, when she became pregnant by fiancé Warren Beatty. At the time, both were struggling financially, and she believed raising a child would have been irresponsible. Collins has said the choice was necessary for her career and future. Decades later, she maintains the same perspective: that women must make decisions based on their circumstances, without shame or outside interference.

Minka Kelly

Actress Minka Kelly revealed her abortion story in 2019, while criticizing Alabama’s near-total abortion ban. In an Instagram post, the ‘Friday Night Lights’ star explained she had an abortion when she was younger because it was “the smartest decision” she could make. At the time, she felt unprepared to parent and didn’t want to perpetuate the cycle of poverty and dysfunction she was born into. Kelly stressed that abortion allowed her to build a stable life on her own terms, and she continues to advocate for reproductive freedom today.

Jennifer Grey

The ‘Dirty Dancing’ actress alluded to her abortion experience in her memoir Out of the Corner, where she reflected on her wild teenage years. She recalled living with an older man at just 16, while also using drugs, partying at Studio 54, and navigating STDs and unwanted pregnancies. “No teenager should be swimming in waters that dark,” she wrote. After the 2022 Supreme Court ruling, Grey told the Los Angeles Times that making the decision to have an abortion was not easy but ultimately the right one for her. “It’s such a grave decision. And it stays with you,” she said, adding that without it, her life and career would have looked very different. “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.”

Hilarie Burton

‘One Tree Hill’ star Hilarie Burton has spoken candidly about her struggles with infertility and multiple pregnancy losses. In 2022, she shared that she had an abortion following a pregnancy loss, explaining that the procedure helped her body heal and eventually carry her daughter. “The official word on the hospital paperwork is abortion. That’s what it was,” she wrote on Instagram. Burton emphasized how essential safe abortion care is for women with complicated pregnancies.

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg’s abortion story is one of the most harrowing ever shared. In Angela Bonavoglia’s 2001 book ‘The Choices We Made,’ Goldberg revealed she became pregnant at 14 and, terrified to tell anyone, attempted a self-induced abortion. She ingested toxic substances and even resorted to a hanger. “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,” she recalled. Goldberg’s story is a stark reminder of the dangers women faced before safe abortion care was accessible.

Britney Spears

In her memoir ‘The Woman in Me,’ Britney Spears revealed she became pregnant while dating Justin Timberlake. Although conflicted, she ultimately had an abortion after Timberlake insisted they weren’t ready to raise a child. Spears admitted the decision was agonizing and said if it had been solely her choice, she might have kept the baby. “It’s one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced,” she wrote. The pop icon’s raw honesty underscores the complexities many women face when partners, pressures, and personal desires collide in such life-changing decisions.

Stevie Nicks

Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks has spoken about her abortion in 1979, explaining how it shaped her career. At the time, the band was constantly touring and recording, leaving no room for raising a child. “If I had not had that abortion, I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac,” she told The Guardian. Nicks believes her music, which has touched millions, was her true calling. She sees her choice as part of her life’s mission and remains unapologetic, underscoring how abortion can allow women to pursue paths they know they are meant for.

Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton has long been an advocate for reproductive rights. Speaking to Glamour UK, she shared that she terminated a pregnancy in her early 20s because she wasn’t ready. At the time, she felt shame and stayed silent. But after Roe v. Wade was overturned, she felt compelled to use her platform. “It’s your body, your choice,” she said, emphasizing the importance of protecting women’s rights. Hilton’s openness adds her voice to a growing chorus of public figures pushing back against stigma and restrictive laws.

Jemima Kirke

Jemima Kirke, star of ‘Girls,’ shared her abortion story as part of the Center for Reproductive Rights’ “Draw the Line” campaign. In 2007, she discovered she was pregnant with her boyfriend at the time and knew she wasn’t ready. “My life was just not conducive to raising a happy, healthy child,” she said. Though she already had access to healthcare as a young actress, she admitted she skipped anesthesia for cost reasons. Kirke later explained that telling her story was her way of helping normalize conversations around reproductive choices.

Laura Prepon

‘Orange Is the New Black’ and ‘That ’70s Show’ star Laura Prepon revealed she had to terminate her second pregnancy after devastating news during a sonogram. Doctors told her the fetus had severe developmental issues, including a brain and skeletal system that would not grow properly, and that continuing could endanger her life. She and her husband made the painful decision to have an abortion. Prepon later told People that she felt it was important to be honest: “In order to have a real conversation about motherhood, you need to share truths.”

Susan Sarandon

Veteran actress Susan Sarandon revealed she had an abortion in her 20s while going through a failing marriage. She explained that she was having an affair at the time and knew that bringing a child into that situation wouldn’t be right. Sarandon has long been outspoken about women’s rights, and her honesty about her decision reflects her broader advocacy. The actress, who later had three children, has said reproductive freedom is essential for women to live full, self-directed lives.

Chelsea Handler

Comedian Chelsea Handler has been one of the most outspoken celebrities about her abortions. She revealed that she had two abortions at age 16, supported by her parents and Planned Parenthood. Writing in Playboy, she described feeling “relieved in every possible way” afterward. Handler emphasized that her access to safe, legal abortion allowed her to avoid derailing her future. She has no regrets, saying, “I don’t ever look back and think, God, I wish I’d had that baby.” Her candor continues to challenge stigma and highlight the importance of accessible care for young women.

Jameela Jamil

British actress and activist Jameela Jamil has been outspoken about how abortion saved her life. Sharing her story in 2019, she explained, “I was mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially unstable and most importantly did not want a child. That should be enough.” She described feeling no regret, only gratitude for living in a country where abortion was safe and accessible. Jamil stressed that bans don’t end abortion but instead harm vulnerable women.

Ali MacGraw

’70s screen icon Ali MacGraw has long been candid about her abortion experience before Roe v. Wade. In a People feature years after the ruling, she described the darkness of the process, and how it’s shaped by economics. “Once you made the decision, the process became humiliating and terrifying,” she said, recalling the underground network of phone calls and unsafe conditions unless you were wealthy. MacGraw emphasized that no woman takes the decision casually. Her story remains a stark reminder how vital protection of rights are.

Milla Jovovich

In 2019, actress Milla Jovovich opened up on Instagram about her traumatic abortion two years earlier. Already a mother of two and pregnant with her third child, she went into preterm labor at 4½ months while filming in Eastern Europe. Doctors told her she had to remain awake for the entire procedure. “It was one of the most horrific experiences I have ever gone through. I still have nightmares about it,” she shared. Jovovich said the thought of women facing even worse conditions under restrictive abortion laws makes her “stomach turn.”

Kelly Bishop

‘Gilmore Girls’ star Kelly Bishop revealed in her memoir ‘The Third Gilmore Girl’ that she had an abortion in her 30s, a decision she hadn’t planned to share until Roe v. Wade was overturned. Bishop explained that she never intended to have children and felt enormous relief that abortion had become legal just as she needed one. She included her story to help younger generations understand how vital Roe’s protections were and how different life was before.

Halsey

Pop star Halsey has been vocal about her difficult fertility journey, including three miscarriages before age 24. In a 2022 Vogue essay, she revealed that one miscarriage required “aftercare”—a procedure that amounted to an abortion to prevent sepsis. “My abortion saved my life and gave way for my son to have his,” she wrote. Halsey, who welcomed her son Ender in 2021, said the experience only strengthened her pro-choice stance. She urged that every person deserves the right to choose when and how to face the life-altering reality of pregnancy.

Torrey DeVitto

Torrey DeVitto, best known for ‘Chicago Med,’ was just 21 and at the start of her acting career when she discovered she was pregnant. Shocked and overwhelmed, she and her boyfriend at the time decided abortion was the right choice. She flew to Michigan, where her mother lived, for the procedure. For years she stayed quiet, fearing stigma. But in 2022, she told People she’s reclaimed her story: “I know in my heart of hearts, I made the best decision. And if you don’t like it, you can see yourself out the door.”

Nicki Minaj

Rapper Nicki Minaj first spoke about her teenage abortion in a 2014 Rolling Stone interview, calling it “the hardest thing I’d ever gone through.” She was just 16 and said she felt unprepared to raise a child. Though the experience haunted her, Minaj remains pro-choice, stressing that abortion should always be safe and available. “I wasn’t ready,” she admitted. Her candidness added a rare voice from the hip-hop world to conversations about reproductive rights, helping highlight the difficult realities young women often face.

Busy Philipps

Busy Philipps has long been vocal about her abortion at age 15. “It’s not brave for me to say I had an abortion,” she said in 2019. “It’s a medical thing, a choice I made, and I don’t regret it at all.” Philipps launched the hashtag #YouKnowMe to highlight how common abortion is, encouraging others to share their stories and push back against stigma. She has repeatedly stressed she feels no shame, saying, “I’m glad I didn’t have that guy’s baby.”

Keke Palmer

In 2019, actress and singer Keke Palmer revealed on Twitter that she’d had an abortion at 24. At the time, she wasn’t sure about balancing her career with motherhood. “I was worried about my career responsibilities and afraid that I could not exist as both a career woman and mother,” she wrote. Although she later deleted the tweet, Palmer clarified that making choices about one’s own body is deeply personal and not a betrayal of faith. “God knows your heart and your journey,” she said, emphasizing compassion over judgment in conversations about abortion.