In a very plausible alternate universe – one in which Roe v. Wade went in the other direction, and abortion remained illegal – Chelsea Handler might have been a teen mom.
Handler, a 41-year-old comedian, writer and actress, had previously spoken about having an abortion at the age of 16. But just three days before the Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that some say would have closed down most of the state’s abortion providers, she published an essay for Playboy in which she reveals that she actually had two abortions in the same year.
When Handler discovered she was pregnant for the first time, she writes, she wasn’t scared. On the contrary, she was confident that she could raise the child, and she even considered names for it – a “ridiculous” mindset, she now acknowledges. Her parents, whom she “hated” at the time, took her to get an abortion.
“I felt parented, ironically, while I was getting an abortion,” she writes.
After the procedure, she realized it was the right choice. But her relief was short-lived: That same year, her boyfriend got her pregnant again. This time, she had to come up with the money herself. Despite the stress that this involved, Handler writes that she’s “grateful” for Roe v. Wade, and that she has no regrets about her decision.
In the essay, Handler also describes how “infuriating” it is to see conservative politicians try time and time again to counter the effects of Roe v. Wade, by, for example, restricting abortion access in their respective states. Realistically, Handler writes, there will never be a full consensus on the issue of reproductive rights, but she also believes that the issue has progressed so far that the prospect of overturning Roe v. Wade is a thing of the past.
“Once you go forward in history, you don’t go backward,” Handler writes.
While many readers have reacted positively to Handler’s essay and her frankness in addressing the issue, others found her retelling of her experiences to be too flippant.
In an apparent attempt to address these criticisms, Handler tweeted Tuesday that she wasn’t “bragging” about her choices; rather, she “chose to tell the truth.”
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Wesley Yiin
