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Lily Allen is opening up about her history of abortions.
She left out one detail: the number that she has had.
Not because she wants to preserve that element of privacy — but because she isn’t sure of the exact figure.
The singer’s admission is helping others — including her co-host — speak up about their own histories.
Lily Allen used to ‘get pregnant all the time’
During this week’s episode of their Miss Me? podcast, co-hosts Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver discussed contraception and abortion.
In addition to things like delving into a topical gel with low side effects that should help most men avoid causing unwanted pregnancies, they also touched upon unwanted pregnancies themselves and the abortions that resolved them.
“I’d get pregnant all the time, all the time,” Allen recalled during the Tuesday, July 1 episode.
“Abortions, I’ve had a few,” Allen reflected. “But then again, I can’t remember exactly how many.”
Turning to guesswork, the singer suggested: “I think maybe like, I want to say five? Four or five.”
Exact numbers are difficult to know due to stigma and personal safety concerns.
But, in America, about six in ten of those who have abortions are already pregnant. Additionally, about half of those in the US who come in for an abortion have had one before.
Speaking about abortion helps others to share their stories
Co-host Miquita Oliver piped up after Lily Allen shared her history, revealing that she had undergone “about five, too.”
She added: “Lily, I’m so happy I can say that and you can say it and no one came to shoot us down, no judgment.”
Oliver pointed out: “We’ve had about the same amount of abortions.”
“I remember once getting pregnant and the man paying for my abortion,” Allen recalled. “And me thinking it was so romantic.”
She is now 40, and her ideas of romantic gestures have matured since then.
“I don’t think it’s generous or romantic,” she added. “How much is it, like, 500 quid? Kids are a lot more expensive.” She is right about that.
Allen furnished: “I have an IUD now. I think I’m on my third, maybe fourth. I just remember before that was a complete disaster area.”
How do we end the stigma?
It can be easy — especially in times like these, when every day brings new horrific political news — to despair that conversations like these will never be normalized.
Lily Allen is a wealthy celebrity in another country, her life far removed from what feels like America’s final years. But there’s also hope.
A couple of decades ago, this conversation would have been much more controversial. And a century ago, it would have been less — because abortion is, politically speaking, a manufactured wedge issue to drive bad votes for bad politicians.
Allen is helping things by discussing this topic. Having abortions should not be a source of shame or of pride, like just about any other medical procedure. It is part of her past, and her honest discussion can help others understand that they are not alone.
Also, if Allen can’t remember the exact number, doesn’t that highlight how simple the heavily stigmatized procedure often is?
Lily Allen Reveals She’s Unsure How Many Abortions She Had was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
