Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Peony Hirwani

Hilarie Burton shares emotional abortion story following Roe v Wade reversal

Instagram/@hilarieburton

Hilarie Burton has opened up about her abortion journey following the overturning of Roe v Wade in the US.

In a new post on Instagram, the 39-year-old actor revealed how she could “only” have her daughter because of her abortion.

“This is my child,” Burton captioned a photo of her daughter. “My beloved. My daughter. It is no secret I struggled with infertility. Losing multiple pregnancies before her was traumatic.

“But female bodies are all different and unpredictable. 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,” she added, referencing the dilation and curettage procedure, a method used during early abortion. “The official word on the hospital paperwork is abortion. That’s what it was. You know what would have made that painful day even worse? If abortion had been illegal, and law enforcement inspected my body to make sure I hadn’t caused my own miscarriage.”

Speaking of Roe v Wade, Burton said: “[It] protected my rights as a woman to have miscarriages without scrutiny.

“The Supreme Court just said it’s okay for states to look at you as a murder suspect in that situation. Your miscarriage will make you a murder suspect. I can’t say this clearly enough or shout it loud enough.

“I only have my daughter because of my abortion,” Burton concluded. “So f*** you very much to the Supreme Court. And f*** you to the ignorant right-wing extremists who want my daughter to have fewer rights than what I was born with.”

On Friday (24 June), the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of a Mississippi law that outlaws abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy while also overturning key precedents established by the 1973 decision in Roe.

Since the Roe v Wade ruling became public, a number of celebrities like Kendrick Lamar, Olivia Rodrigo, Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Billie Joe Armstrong have also condemned the decision.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.