Jameela Jamil shares her abortion story following Georgia's 'heartbeat bill'

Jamil described having an abortion when she was young as "the best decision I have ever made".

Jameela Jamil

In light of the new anti-abortion laws in Georgia, Jameela Jamil has opened up about her abortion. Source: Patrick McMullan

Actress Jameela Jamil has weighed in on Georgia's controversial new 'heartbeat bill', which is set to make it illegal for women to have an abortion after a heartbeat is detectable in the womb.

, Jamil shared her own abortion experience, explaining that she had an abortion when she was younger because she wasn't "emotionally, physically or financially" ready to have a child.

"I had an abortion when I was young, and it was the best decision I have ever made," she wrote.

"Both for me, and for the baby I didn’t want, and wasn’t ready for, emotionally, psychologically and financially. So many children will end up in foster homes. So many lives ruined. So very cruel."
The 33-year old star added that while she was "in awe" of foster carers, one of the possible repercussions of Georgia's new law could be an inundation of children without caring homes.

"This isn’t any diss at ALL to foster homes," she tweeted. "I’m in awe of people who take in children in need of a family and a home: but if Georgia becomes inundated with children who are unwanted or unable to be cared for, it will be hard to find great fostering for them all.

"This anti-abortion law in Georgia is so upsetting, inhumane, and blatantly demonstrative of a hatred of women, a disregard for our rights, bodies, mental health, and essentially a punishment for rape victims, forcing to carry the baby of their rapist."
Jamil's tweets come after actress Busy Philipps on her talk show, Busy Tonight.

Philipps, 39, condemned Georgia's revealing she had an abortion at 15.

“Every woman deserves compassion and care, not judgment and interference, when it comes to their own bodies. The statistic is one in four women will have an abortion before age 45 and that statistic sometimes surprises people. Maybe you’re sitting there thinking ‘I don’t know a woman who would have an abortion’," she said. "Well, you know me.”
Clearly emotional, Philipps continued: “I had an abortion when I was 15 years old, and I’m telling you this because I am genuinely really scared for women and girls all over this country. And I think that we all need to be talking more and sharing our stories more.”

Other big names to condemn the bill include creator of The Wire, David Simon, who vowed not to work on any TV or film productions being shot in Georgia.

Actress Alyssa Milano, who last week in protest of the law, has also vocally opposed the 'heartbeat bill', to Kemp and Georgia House Speaker David Ralston in which she vowed, along with a list of 50 other actors, to refuse work in Georgia if the bill were passed.

“This dangerous and deeply-flawed bill mimics many others which have already been deemed unconstitutional,” she wrote in March 2019.

“As men who identify as small-government conservatives, we remind you that government is never bigger than when it is inside a woman’s body or in her doctor’s office.”

Among others, the letter was signed by Ben Stiller, Don Cheadle and Amy Schumer.

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Published 14 May 2019 12:00pm
By Samuel Leighton-Dore


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