Markle speaks out following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Meghan Markle and Gloria Steinem got together with renowned journalist Jessica Yellin for a wide-ranging interview in wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and despite the highest court in the land doing away with the landmark 1973 ruling, they still have hope.
Yellin moderated the conversation between the Duchess of Sussex and the iconic American feminist for Vogue, where Markle offered her thoughts while talking about normalizing conversations about abortion and women's health. For Markle, she thinks about her family when those topics come up.
"I think about how fortunate I felt to be able to have both of my children," said Markle, mother to son, Archie, 3, and daughter, Lilibet, 1. "I know what it feels like to have a connection to what is growing inside of your body. What happens with our bodies is so deeply personal, which can also lead to silence and stigma, even though so many of us deal with personal health crises."
In a November 2020 interview with The New York Times, Markle revealed she suffered a miscarriage earlier that summer.
"I know what miscarrying feels like, which I’ve talked about publicly," Markle continued in Vogue. "The more that we normalize conversation about the things that affect our lives and bodies, the more people are going to understand how necessary it is to have protections in place."
Markle, who described Prince Harry as a feminist in the article and said his reaction to the Supreme Court's decision was "guttural," went on to underscore the importance that, when it comes to abortion, it should always be a woman's right to choose.
"This is about women’s physical safety. It’s also about economic justice, individual autonomy, and who we are as a society," she continued. "Nobody should be forced to make a decision they do not want to make, or is unsafe, or puts their own life in jeopardy. Frankly, whether it’s a woman being put in an unthinkable situation, a woman not ready to start a family, or even a couple who deserve to plan their family in a way that makes the most sense for them, it’s about having a choice. It’s interesting that here you’re talking to two women: one who chose to give birth happily, and one who chose not to give birth happily. And we’re both prospering because we were able to make our own choices."
Since the Supreme Court's decision last Friday, many celebrities have come forward to share their own personal stories about abortion. Dancing With the Stars pro Sheryl Burke opened up about her abortion at 18. Paul Walker's daughter, Meadow, also revealed she had an abortion in 2020.
"This is having a very real impact on women’s bodies and lives starting now," Markle said. "Women are already sharing stories of how their physical safety is being put in danger. Women with resources will travel to get an abortion, those without might attempt to give themselves one at tremendous risk. Some will have to source abortion pills from unregulated pharmacies. Others who are pregnant and find themselves in a medical emergency will be at the mercy of doctors and lawyers to determine if a procedure that is needed to save her life can even be done at all."
"What does this tell women? It tells us that our physical safety doesn’t matter, and as a result that we don’t matter," she added. "But we do. Women matter. And this is one of the reasons that I called Gloria immediately. Because in all of it, she reminds me that when you have anger, you have to channel that energy into something that makes a difference. That’s what activism is. It’s about how we show up."
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