Rihanna, Minka Kelly, Other Stars Speak Out in Wake of Abortion Bans

Padma Lakshmi tweeted Wednesday urging men to not let women carry the burden alone of challenging opposition to abortion rights

In the wake of Alabama legislators giving final approval to a ban on nearly all abortions, and Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signing legislation banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, several stars have started to speak out publicly decrying those decisions, some revealing their own deeply personal experiences with abortion. 

Rihanna and Minka Kelly are the latest stars to speak out.

Kelly posted a lengthy post on Instagram revealing she had an abortion at a younger age, calling it " the smartest decision I could’ve made, not only for myself & my boyfriend at the time, but also for this unborn fetus."

Kelly added, "For a baby to’ve been born to two people — too young and completely ill equipped — with no means or help from family, would have resulted in a child born into an unnecessary world of struggle. Having a baby at that time would have only perpetuated the cycle of poverty, chaos and dysfunction I was born into. Forcing a child to be born to a mother who isn’t ready, isn’t financially stable, was raped, a victim of incest (!!), isn’t doing that theoretical child any favors."

On Wednesday Lada Gaga tweeted to her 78 million followers.

Actress Milla Jovovich shared her story on Instagram. 

View this post on Instagram

I don’t like to get political and I try to only do it if a really have to and this is one of those times. If someone doesn’t want to continue reading, you have been warned. Our rights as women to obtain safe abortions by experienced doctors are again at stake. Last Tuesday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed a draconian bill into law that outlaws all abortions after six weeks — before most women even realize they’re pregnant — including in cases of RAPE OR INCEST. This makes Georgia the sixth state to pass such a restrictive six-week abortion ban, joining Ohio, Mississippi, Kentucky, Iowa, and North Dakota. These laws haven’t been passed yet, but lawmakers in these states are trying. Abortion is hard enough for women on an emotional level without having to go through it in potentially unsafe and unsanitary conditions. I myself went through an emergency abortion 2 years ago. I was 4 1/2 months pregnant and shooting on location in Eastern Europe. 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. I took time off of my career. I isolated myself for months and had to keep a strong face for my two amazing kids. I started gardening, eating healthier and going to the gym everyday because I didn’t want to jump into taking anti depressants unless I had tried every other alternative. Thank God I was able to find my way out of that personal hell without turning to medication, but the memory of what I went through and what I lost will be with me till the day I die. 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. I never wanted to speak about this experience. But I cannot remain silent when so much is at stake. #prochoice #prochoicegeneration

A post shared by Milla Jovovich (@millajovovich) on

"The Good Place" star Jameela Jamil took to Twitter to share her own experience.

Busy Philipps Gets Real About Abortion

When the social media site's users began to shame Jamil, she turned to Instagram to respond. "I DON'T GIVE A FLYING F--- WHAT YOU THINK OF MY DECISION," she captioned the image, which was a screen grab of her first tweet. "MY DECISION. MY BODY. MY CHOICE."

Jamil is not the first celeb to open up about the topic. In April, actress and activist Ashley Judd used her voice to defend a woman's right to choose.

"As everyone knows, and I'm very open about it, I'm a three-time rape survivor," she said at Tina Brown's 10th annual Women in the World Summit. "And one of the times I was raped, there was conception, and I'm very thankful I was able to access safe and legal abortion. Because that rapist, who is a Kentucky-ian, as am I, and I reside in Tennessee, has paternity rights in Kentucky and Tennessee. I would have had to co-parent with a rapist."

"Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi tweeted Wednesday urging men to not let women carry the burden alone of challenging opposition to abortion rights.

And talk show host Busy Phillips first opened up about having an abortion in her memoir. Phillips addressed her experience again on her talk show after Kemp signed the new Georgia law.

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