In a rare gesture, American actress Uma Thurman reveals that she had an abortion in her youth, exposing her "
darkest secret
" in support of Texas women banned from terminating their pregnancies.
At 51, the
Pulp Fiction
and
Kill Bill
star
dared to break this taboo, still very strong in the United States, in a poignant column published Wednesday by the
Washington Post
daily
.
She explains that she followed "
with deep sadness and a feeling close to horror
" the entry into force of the Texas law which, since September 1, has prohibited almost all abortions in this vast conservative state.
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Faced with this "
radical
"
text
which does not provide for an exception in the event of incest or rape, the actress has decided to share her experience publicly for the first time in "
the hope of deflecting the flames of the women's controversy. vulnerable affected by this law
”. Uma Thurman, who started a modeling career when she was 15, explains that before she turned 20, she became pregnant with an older man, while in Europe away from her family. "
I wanted to keep the baby, but how?
"
In a "
terrible
"
conversation
with her parents, this "
childish fantasy of motherhood
" dissipated, she says.
The relationship was'
unsustainable
','
my career was just starting, I couldn't afford a stable home, even for myself.
We decided as a family that I couldn't continue my pregnancy.
"
The abortion of my teenage years was the most difficult choice of my life, it caused me deep pain then and still saddens me today.
But I have no regrets
Uma Thurman
With the help of a friend, she traveled to Cologne, Germany, to have an abortion. "
It hurt terribly, but I didn't complain, I was so embarrassed that I thought I deserved this pain ...
" "
My teenage abortion was the most difficult choice of my life,
I got it. caused deep pain at the time and still saddens me today,
”she continues. But “
I have no regrets
”: “
he opened the way for me to a life full of joy and love. Choosing to terminate this pregnancy allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted to be,
”writes the actress who then had three children.
Today, she is "
heartbroken
" in the face of Texas law, "
a tool of discrimination against disadvantaged women
" since the richest will be able to travel out of state to obtain an abortion.
The text "
pits citizens against each other
", she still regrets.
Texan law, which has been the subject of several legal proceedings, in fact includes an unprecedented mechanism: it is not up to the authorities to enforce the measure, but "
exclusively
" to citizens, encouraged to lodge a complaint against organizations or organizations. people who help women with abortions.
“
I have nothing to gain from these confessions and maybe a lot to lose,
” said Uma Thurman in her forum.
Almost 50 years after the emblematic Supreme Court ruling “
Roe v.
Wade,
”who recognized the right of women to have an abortion, nearly 40% of the population still believe that abortions should be illegal in most cases, according to the Pew Institute.
Pressure on doctors and women
Anti-abortion activists are very present on the ground and on social networks, and family planning actors regularly denounce the pressure exerted on their doctors or on women who consult their clinics.
In this context, Uma Thurman's text provoked reactions at opposite ends.
"
Thank you Uma Thurman for sharing your story,
" tweeted the feminist association National Women's Law Center.
Before her, other American stars, like Madonna or Nicki Minaj, dared to break the taboo.
In a collection, actress Whoopi Goldberg gave the most poignant testimony, saying that at 14, she used a hanger to end an unwanted pregnancy.
Their number remains far from the signatories of the
Manifesto of 343,
published in France in 1971, in which 343 women, including Simone de Beauvoir or Catherine Deneuve, admitted having clandestinely aborted.
The text had contributed to the shift in public opinion and the adoption of a law legalizing abortion.