A day after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed the hugely restrictive "fetal heartbeat" law, late-night host and actor Busy Philipps revealed that she underwent an abortion at 15. "I cannot sit idly by while women’s rights are stripped away," she told her viewers.
Then, in light of Alabama's near-total abortion ban, which Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law on Wednesday, Busy prompted Twitter users who've had abortions to help destigmatize the procedure by sharing their truths via the hashtag #YouKnowMe.
1 in 4 women have had an abortion. Many people think they don't know someone who has, but #youknowme. So let's do this: if you are also the 1 in 4, let's share it and start to end the shame. Use #youknowme and share your truth.
Arguably the nation's most restrictive, the anti-abortion bill makes an exception for cases where a woman's health is at "serious" risk, but not for victims of rape or incest. And doctors found guilty of performing abortions could face up to 99 years in prison.
The tweet has since garnered more than 42,000 likes and almost 2,000 comments, most of which include raw, honest accounts of past abortions. Here are 27 of those stories:
1.
@BusyPhilipps Fucking hard for me to put this out but, the condom was removed without my consent - I was drunk and asked far too late - and the morning after pill didn't work. #youknowme and it's time I didn't feel so ashamed of this
2.
@BusyPhilipps #youknowme 28 years old, single, no maternal instinct, birth control pills failed. No shame. Doctors should have provided the tubal ligation I'd requested for 10 years. They'd refused because 'women change their minds'.
3.
@BusyPhilipps I live in Georgia. Grew up Catholic. Found out was pregnant 4 mnths in bc I was starving myself & in a toxic, abusive relationship, 21, poor. Begged my boss for a loan & too mortified to say why. Evrything was horrible, except I know it was the right choice for me. #YouKnowMe
4.
@BusyPhilipps Because of my abortion 16 years ago, I was able to address my mental health issues, finish college, graduate law school, have two beautiful children that I prioritize. I am now the (1st POC) ED of @naraltx where we fight for abortion rights in Texas. @AbortionStories #YouKnowMe
5.
@BusyPhilipps #YouKnowMe I was 16 and the condom broke. There was never any question about what I was going to do and I have never regretted it. And I know at least 5 other women who also had one and went on to have kids later once they were ready, and are amazing moms.
6.
@BusyPhilipps The baby was desperately wanted, but had chromosomal and physical defects. It was the hardest decision of our lives, but it was the right one. I think of him every day, especially when I look at my rainbow baby. #youknowme
7.
@BusyPhilipps I had a 1 year old and due to health issues, if I had the other it would have killed me! I refused to leave my child without a mother. I was 5.2 weeks when I had to make the decision but it broke my heart. We all have our reasons but its never taken lightly. #youknowme
8.
@BusyPhilipps I was 21 and batshit terrified. All I felt was relief afterwards. And I was on the pill. Nothing is 100%. That's why we must have access to safe care. #YouKnowMe
9.
@BusyPhilipps #youknowme I had an abortion when I was in my 30s. My only regret is letting others make me feel ashamed of my choice. So today, I stand by other woman and girls who have that choice to make and say: Stay strong! You are not alone! 💚💚
10.
@BusyPhilipps @ManInTheHoody My daughter was 1 year old and I knew financially I couldn't afford another baby. It was the hardest, most painful and deeply personal decision I've made in my life. The government involving itself in such intensely private matters is ridiculous #youknowme
11.
@BusyPhilipps #YouKnowMe. I feel like I have to provide a heart breaking reason why I had two abortions. I simply I didn’t want the responsibility or cost of raising a child alone. 💜💜 Love to all of us 4 telling our stories, thank u Busy for starting the conversation.
12.
@BusyPhilipps I was 18 & had just begun treatment for a bone tumor & I found out I was a few weeks pregnant. I’d already been given radiation treatment despite early pregnancy tests being negative prior to surgery 1. they were were wrong. Had an abortion, continue’d my tumor tx #youknowme
13.
@BusyPhilipps @TrinityMustache #YouKnowMe Back alley. Catheter and clothes hangar. I was 19, it was 1966. I didn’t die. But I could have.
14.
@BusyPhilipps I was 18, uneducated about birth control, and in an abusive relationship. And then I was 23 (on the pill) and my now husband had just admitted he was an alcoholic. Compromising his sobriety wasn’t an option. Both were decisions I have zero regrets about. #youknowme
15.
@BusyPhilipps #youknowme I was 33 - married, 2 kids, working f/t & unable to find room in my life for another child. It took 2 years to get pg with my 2nd and I ended up needing fertility meds, so I naively thought I couldn’t get pregnant without intervention. Hubs had a vasectomy after that.
16.
@BusyPhilipps #youknowme I was just a child. My parents made the hard decision. They loved me that much.
17.
@BusyPhilipps @AnotherRogueAcc College sophomore. No regrets. #youknowme
18.
@BusyPhilipps Had an abortion at 15... my only regret is allowing people to judge me for MY choice. I hope in my lifetime we destigmatize abortion. #YouKnowMe
19.
@BusyPhilipps #youknowme I was 16, about to sit my GCSE's, terrified and the father disappeared. Even with the judgement from my then virulently anti-abortion sister, I went ahead with it. I'm neither proud nor ashamed, but I wouldn't be where I am now without the procedure.
20.
@BusyPhilipps 22, very scared, unstable relationship, grieving my moms death the year before. Prayed on my knees the morning of. Cried and cried and cried. No regrets. #YouKnowMe
21.
@BusyPhilipps I was 15 and scared out of my mind . #youknowme
22.
@BusyPhilipps #youknowme I was 21, had a boyfriend who didn’t love me and cheated on me. I wasn’t ready to be a single mum at such a young age.
23.
@BusyPhilipps @NYNURSE10550 #YouKnowMe I was 15, got pregnant first time I ever had sex. I wanted college, a life. Not a single regret.
24.
@BusyPhilipps @AmoneyResists ...I was too young. Never thought twice about it, no shame, no regrets, best decision for me. 2nd time I was dating a guy who had had a vasectomy. My birth control was the shot you get every 3 months. Talk about unlucky. Murphy’s Law is the bane of my existence. #YouKnowMe
25.
@BusyPhilipps @WomanProjectHQ On the drive home from morning yoga practice Sunday, my heart opened up and I forgave myself for the shame I had been carrying for years over a choice I do not regret. 1 in 4 women has had an abortion. I’m one of them. #YouKnowMe
26.
@BusyPhilipps @keebztheelf I was 19 years old and in my second year of college. I knew I had degrees to finish. I had an abortion. #YouKnowMe I am a public school teacher in the Bronx. My life of service and activism might not have been. I’m grateful to have lived in New York and had access.
27.
@BusyPhilipps #youknowme as a loving mom to a 6 year old but Ive had an abortion before. I was 23 and in a new relationship with my career on the line. Having the abortion allowed me cont. my career so I could make enough $ to support a child and give them a great life.
If you'd also like share your abortion experience, please do so in the comment below. Include as little or as much detail as you'd like. Some responses will be featured in a future BuzzFeed post.
You can find more resources and information on the American Civil Liberties Union website.