Milla Jovovich shares her 'horrific abortion experience' in the wake of Georgia's trigger law
With Georgia becoming the country’s fourth state this year to try and ban abortions with a trigger law, the case for bodily autonomy has taken a turn. 'Resident Evil' actor Milla Jovovich spoke out on Tuesday, May 14, through social media about her "horrific abortion experience" and said that "we have to fight to make sure our rights are preserved to obtain a safe one if we need to."
She shared her story in the wake of restrictive abortion laws making their way through legislatures of several politically conservative states. In Georgia this month, Governor Brian Kemp signed a bill outlawing abortion after a heartbeat is detected, usually six weeks into a pregnancy, before some women even know they’re expecting. "I don't like to get political and I try to only do it if I really have to and this is one of those times," she began. "If someone doesn’t want to continue reading, you have been warned."
She went on to explain that she was four-and-a-half months pregnant and shooting on location in Europe when she went into preterm labor. Having being told that she had to be awake for the entire painful procedure, "It was one of the most horrific experiences I have ever gone through," Jovovich said. "I still have nightmares about it. I was alone and helpless. When I think about the fact that women might have to face abortions in even worse conditions than I did because of new laws, my stomach turns."
Jovovich, who married film producer and writer Paul W.S. Anderson in 2009, is the mother of two daughters with Anderson: 11-year-old Ever and four-year-old Dashiel. After the abortion, Jovovich said she went into a depression that required a lot of hard work, even time off from her career, to overcome. "Thank God I was able to find my way out of that personal hell without turning to medication, but the memory of what I went through and what I lost will be with me till the day I die," said Jovovich, who turned to gardening, more frequent workouts and healthy eating. "Abortion is a nightmare at its best. No woman wants to go through that. But we have to fight to make sure our rights are preserved to obtain a safe one if we need to."
With up to six states — Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, and South Dakota — having trigger laws intending to criminalize abortion, Jovovich also said, "The memory of what I went through and what I lost will be with me till the day I die... I never wanted to speak about this experience. But I cannot remain silent when so much is at stake. #prochoice#prochoicegeneration."
Jovovich is the latest celebrity to speak out against the proposed laws. Actress Alyssa Milano called for women to join her in a sex strike. The former star of 'Charmed' and 'Melrose Place' urged women to stop having sex "until we get bodily autonomy back." British actress Jameela Jamil called the laws "upsetting, inhumane", saying she once had a termination and that it was the "best decision" she ever made. Supermodel Helena Christensen remarked: "Women and only women should decide the laws on female bodies." The Georgia law is scheduled to become enforceable in 2020, though it is widely expected to be challenged in court before then.
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