Sports journalist, Jemele Hill, is the most recent celebrity to publicly oppose Roe v. Wade’s reversal and share her own abortion story.
The 46-year-old penned an exclusive column for The Atlantic, published earlier this week, and recounted Hill’s experience with abortion when she was 26 years old.
“I had an abortion at 26 years old,” she wrote. “I was not raped. I wasn’t the victim of incest. I was not in the midst of a life-threatening medical emergency.”
“I simply had no desire to give birth to a child,” she continued.
Hill revealed that she has never publicly shared her experience until now. Adding that, it is something she will divulge more of in her forthcoming memoir, Uphill, which will be released in October.
Hill also added that she is “angry, appalled, and disgusted” with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and believes that “now more than ever,” women who are seeking abortions or have had one, need to know that they are not alone.
“Women should not have to justify why they want the power over whether and when they give birth,” she wrote. “The government shouldn’t force them to have a child any more than it should force them to be sterilized. They just need access to safe care.”
Hill took to Instagram yesterday to highlight her column. And many social media users showed their support for her vulnerability and transparency.
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“Brave woman,” commented media personality Rashan Ali.
“Thank you,” commented actress Holly Robinson Peete.
Actress Gabrielle Union also dropped a myriad of red heart emojis to show support for Hill.
In the column, Hill revealed that she worked as a sports journalist at the Detroit Free Press in Michigan when she had her abortion. And said although she was “financially able to support a child,” she did not see a “long-term future” with her partner at the time.
Hill also added that she didn’t want to bring her child into an “unstable relationship” and focused on pursuing her dream of being a sports journalist.
As previously reported by AfroTech, Hill’s hard work has paid off. Today, she is a seasoned sports journalist with over 20 years of career experience.
Read her entire column here.
