Women are telling their abortion stories in a powerful show of solidarity after the Alabama state Senate passed the country’s strictest abortion bill on Tuesday night.
Actor and talk show host Busy Philipps asked her Twitter followers on Wednesday afternoon to share their abortion stories using the hashtag #YouKnowMe.
“1 in 4 women have had an abortion. Many people think they don’t know someone who has, but #YouKnowMe,” Philipps tweeted. “So let’s do this: if you are also the 1 in 4, let’s share it and start to end the shame.”
The Alabama legislation is an extreme anti-abortion measure that criminalizes the procedure in all cases, including rape and incest. The only exception is if the life of a pregnant woman is at risk.
The legislation passed the state Senate with a vote of 25 to 6 ― and all the votes in favor came from white male senators.
If signed into law by Kay Ivey, Republican Governor of Alabama, performing an abortion procedure would become a felony offence punishable by a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Ivey has not publicly stated whether she will sign the bill into law. The law would go into effect within six months after the governor’s signature.
Philipps’ callout quickly went viral, with hundreds of people sharing their abortion stories. Their accounts portrayed a wide array of reasons women choose to get abortions, such as financial issues, being too young and even sexual assault and domestic violence.
“My daughter was one year old and I knew financially I couldn’t afford another baby,” one woman wrote. “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.”
Another woman shared her abortion story from 1966, before the historic 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalised abortion in the U.S.
“#YouKnowMe. Back alley. Catheter and clothes [hanger]. I was 19, it was 1966. I didn’t die. But I could have,” Charla Garth wrote.
Scroll below to read more #YouKnowMe stories.