Meghan Markle made deeply personal comments about her children following the US Supreme Court 's decision to allow states to ban abortions.
The Duchess of Sussex encouraged the normalisation of conversations about abortion and women's health during an interview with Vogue magazine.
She spoke about feeling "fortunate" to be able to have both of her children, Archie and Lilibet, and knowing what it feels like "to have a connection to what is growing inside your body".
The 40-year-old, who revealed in November 2020 that she had had a miscarriage, also referred to the "silence and stigma" surrounding women's bodies, despite "so many dealing with personal health crises."
Meghan said: "I think about how fortunate I felt to be able to have both of my children. I know what it feels like to have a connection to what is growing inside of your body.
"What happens with our bodies is so deeply personal, which can also lead to silence and stigma, even though so many of us deal with personal health crises.
"I know what miscarrying feels like, which I’ve talked about publicly.
"The more that we normalise conversation about the things that affect our lives and bodies, the more people are going to understand how necessary it is to have protections in place."
The US Supreme Court last week ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling.
The duchess said the court's decision was going to have a disproportionate effect on women of colour and that is was "difficult to overstate" what it would mean for them.
However, it is not just a women's issue, she told the magazine, with the ruling representing "a blueprint for reversing rights", including same-sex marriage and contraception access, and called on men to get involved.
She said: "Men need to be vocal in this moment and beyond because these are decisions that affect relationships, families, and communities at large.
"They may target women, but the consequences impact all of us. My husband and I talked about that a lot over the past few days. He's a feminist too."
Meghan continued: "His reaction last week was guttural, like mine. I know that for so many women right now, there is a sentiment of despair. But, again, we have to band together and not wallow. We have to do the work."
Meghan was being interviewed alongside American feminist author and journalist Gloria Steinem.
The 88-year-old social political activist was born in Ohio and moved to New York in 1960. In 1971 she launched Ms. Magazine, which was the first publication to be owned and operated by women.
