Uma Thurman reveals she had an abortion as a teenager, condemns Texas law: 'My heart was broken'

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Uma Thurman shares a deeply personal experience to condemn Texas' controversial abortion law.

In a moving editorial published by The Washington Post On Tuesday, the 51-year-old actress revealed what she calls her “darkest secret”: having an abortion in her late teens.

“I began my acting career at age 15, working in an environment where I was often the only child in the room,” she wrote. “In my late teens, I was accidentally made pregnant by a much older man. I was living out of a suitcase in Europe, far from my family and about to start a job. I had a hard time knowing what to do.”

Thurman detailed calling her parents to discuss her options before they ultimately decided as a family to terminate the pregnancy. “I was heartbroken though,” she shared.

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When the time came, she said she went to a doctor's office in Cologne, Germany, to have the procedure. “It hurt me terribly, but I didn’t complain,” she recalls. “I had internalized the shame so much that I felt like I deserved the pain.”

THE Suspicion The star now has three children, daughters Maya, 23, and Luna, 9, and son Levon Roan, 19, who she described as her “pride and joy” in the essay.

“The abortion I had as a teenager was the most difficult decision of my life, a decision that caused me anxiety at the time and still saddens me today. but it is the path to the life full of joy and love that I have lived,” she shared. . “Choosing not to continue with this early pregnancy allowed me to grow and become the mother I wanted and needed to be.”

Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

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Opening up about the decision, Thurman explained that she hoped “a little light will shine through, reaching women and girls who might feel shame about not being able to protect themselves and having no agency “.

“Texas' abortion law was allowed to go into effect unchallenged by the Supreme Court, which, largely because of its lack of ideological diversity, provides the breeding ground for a human rights crisis of American women,” she continued.

Thurman concluded: “To all of you — to the women and girls of Texas, who fear being traumatized and hunted by predatory bounty hunters; to all women outraged by the fact that the rights of their bodies are taken away by the State; and to all of you who are vulnerable and subject to shame because you have a uterus, I say: I see you, you are beautiful. You remind me of my daughters.

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Senate Bill 8, which took effect September 1, is now the most restrictive abortion law in the country, essentially eliminating the rights established in Roe v. Wade. The bill bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before most women know they are pregnant. The bill does not allow exceptions for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape.

Under the law, private citizens can sue doctors or abortion clinic employees they suspect of performing illegal abortions after six weeks, as well as anyone who assisted in an abortion, including by driving someone to an appointment or helping them pay expenses. If the lawsuit is successful, they will receive a minimum of $10,000.

RELATED VIDEO: The Woman Whose Conception Sparked Roe v. Wade breaks the silence: “I keep a secret but I hate it”

Earlier this month, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department was “urgently” exploring all options to challenge the bill “to protect the constitutional rights of women and others.” .

The attorney general also pledged to “provide federal law enforcement support when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is attacked.”