Halsey has been outspoken about their anger over the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court last month, leading fans in a chant of “my body, my choice” at an Arizona concert and telling those in favor of the ruling to “go home right now. I don’t care.” Now, they’ve written an essay for Vogue detailing their own experiences with abortion and why motherhood has only strengthened their resolve to fight for abortion rights.
In the essay, Halsey reveals, “I miscarried three times before my 24th birthday,” adding, “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.”
“During this procedure, I cried. I was afraid for myself and I was helpless,” they continue. “I was desperate to end the pregnancy that was threatening my life.”
Revealing that they’d changed their will during pregnancy so they could donate their organs if they were brain-dead, but their heart was still beating, Halsey noted the irony in the fact that “a beating heart in my womb could mean I couldn’t consent to saving my own life.”
While they’ve since been asked many times if becoming a mother has changed their views on abortion, Halsey writes, “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.”
They conclude, “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.”
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