Halsey Proves (As If We Didn't Know) Abortions Are Lifesaving

Ever since SCOTUS made their landmark (horrible, shitty, selfish, racist, ableist…the list goes on) decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, many celebrities and prominent figures have come out to speak about their experiences with abortion in relation to their health, and one of those figures is none other than Halsey.

Halsey wrote an opinion piece for Vogue on their experience with abortion, and how it changed their life after three miscarriages, ultimately leading to a healthy birth for their 1-year-old son, Ender.

“One of my miscarriages required ‘aftercare,’ a gentle way of saying that I would need an abortion, because my body could not terminate the pregnancy completely on its own and I would risk going into sepsis without medical intervention. During this procedure, I cried. I was afraid for myself and I was helpless. I was desperate to end the pregnancy that was threatening my life.”

Due to the past miscarriages, Halsey prepared for the worst. They rewrote their will in their third trimester, saying that should their brain stop but their heart continue, they wanted their organs to be donated to help others.

“How funny that while my own heart would amount to nothing more than a series of involuntary movements on an operating table, a beating heart in my womb could mean I couldn’t consent to saving my own life.”

This experience only radicalized Halsey more on their abortion stance. It’s because of their past abortions they were able to have a healthy baby and give him life.

“Every person deserves the right to choose when, if, and how they have this dangerous and life-altering experience. I will hold my son in one arm, and fight with all my might with the other.”

Ever since Roe v. Wade was overturned, people haven’t shied away from vocalizing how despairingly upset they are, and how fearful they are for the future. Some of those voices belong to our very own Mighty community.

In A Letter to Birth Moms Who Are Hurting After the Reversal of Roe v. Wade by Maya Lorde, she pens a few steps for birth moms who are distraught over SCOTUS’ decision:

“1. Take a nap. You deserve it. There is no shame in it.

2. Surround yourself with like-minded people who are not in the adoption fog (aka think adoption has no negative consequences).

3. Journal just for you and contain it.

4. Write your feelings and share in safe groups on social media and elsewhere.

5. Segregate your social media into spaces that are safe for now.

6. Write your child a letter. (I set up an email for my child and I periodically send her emails that she can see when she is older.)

7. Share with your family or social network about your real experience around adoption. It is the Each One, Teach One model. You may successfully change some minds.

8. Do advocacy such as make a TikTok video about your experience, start a blog, work in your state to change the adoption laws, support abortion laws, educate others about the risk of adoption and the true experience, hold adoption agencies accountable, give money to adoptee groups, vote.

9. Seek out adoption-competent therapy (not a clinician in the adoption fog). If you do not have the financial access, seek out birth mom support groups. If there is not one in your area now, many of them are virtual so you can attend from anywhere in the country.

You can take your power back. Adoption does not have to make us victims. We do not have to remain silent (but we can if we need to for now). There is significant stigma, and it looks like it is up to us to change the narrative.”

You aren’t alone if you’re angry, fearful, depressed, and/or anxious from the current news cycle. Just as Maya added, there are steps you can take to protect yourself to the best of your ability, such as downloading menstrual tracking printables versus using menstrual tracking apps.

Halsey proves abortions save lives (as if we didn’t already know that), and I’m praying that our rights will be defended so they can continue to do so.