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    Chelsea Handler and Other Celebs Who Have Opened Up About Abortion

    By Grace Shreve | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Fri, Feb 10, 2012 1:06 PM PST
    Chelsea Handler in 2007. Photo by Luke Ford.

    Comedian and talk show host Chelsea Handler has come clean about having an abortion.

    During a recent appearance on "The Rosie Show," Handler confessed to becoming pregnant at the age of 16. The 36-year-old called herself "delusional" for initially wanting to keep the baby, but said her parents talked her out of it, telling her she was "throwing [her] entire life away."

    Host Rose O'Donnell expressed her support for Handler, suggesting that the decision to abort is not always "a life-defining, negative thing" for some women. Musing that she would have been a "horrible mother," the New Jersey-born blonde insisted that she has "no regrets" and reiterated her belief that "You should do whatever you want with your body and you shouldn't let anyone tell you what to do."

    While Handler's statements may be controversial, she's hardly the first celeb to weigh in on the topic of abortion.

    Reality star and expectant mother Kourtney Kardashian revealed that she seriously considered aborting her first child, a son Mason, who is now 2. The 32-year-old confessed, "I definitely thought about it long and hard, about if I wanted to keep the baby or not, and I wasn't thinking about adoption." Saying that women should have the right to "do what they want," she reminisced that it was boyfriend Scott Disick who plead with her to keep their baby. We can't help but wonder what Mason's take will be when he's old enough to read his mom's interview.

    Host Sherri Shepherd shared her emotional experience on a recent episode of "The View." The recently-married 44-year-old choked up while discussing the hurdles some women face if they choose to keep their babies. When fellow host Whoopi Goldberg suggested that some women choose to have an abortion because of financial concerns, Shepherd responded, "I'm speaking as a girl who had a lot of abortions and I swear to God…I would have put my child in a lot of situations that wouldn't have been good because I didn't have the mental capacity to deal with having a child."

    Reality star Sharon Osbourne also shared her experience with abortion and the subsequent medical problems it caused. The former "Osbournes" star said she suffered three miscarriages after having an abortion at the age of 17 due to damage sustained by her cervix. The 59-year-old mother of three said, "Everybody has something in the closet, and I reckon the best policy is always to be honest, then it can't come back to haunt you." Calling her abortion "the worst thing I ever did," she states that should would "never recommend" the procedure to anyone.

    More from this Contributor:

    Celebrities and Their Might-Have-Been Careers

    Celebrities and Their Should-Be Theme Songs

    Celebrities and Their Should-Be New Year's Resolutions

    Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network here to start publishing your own articles.

     

    49 comments

    • J
      J  •  Greenville, South Carolina  •  3 months ago
      I can deal with a person making a mistake and having "AN" abortion but when it becomes a method of birth control it's ridiculous. I've known several women over the years that have had at least 4 abortions each(one at 5 months) and I just wanted to scream at them to GROW UP...how hard is it to take a pill each day or use condoms. I'm embarrassed to admit that I was sexually active at 15 but I didn't have my first child until I was 25 and I was never pregant before then. I knew how babies were made, that I didn't want any, and how to prevent pregnancy.
      • Kayla
        Kayla 3 months ago
        I agree it's very sickening when people refuse to take any responsibility for their reproductive organs whatsoever and think that repeated abortions are the easiest way out. No, it's the LAZIEST way out. And for the anti-adoption people, there are seriously waiting lists of people wanting newborn babies, it's the older kids that morons don't have sense enough to give up in the first place that end up clogging the system. If you want to have dozens of abortions why not just get 'fixed' and solve everyone's problems...
      • Kathleen
        Kathleen 3 months ago
        Easy for you two to judge.
      • Catnip
        Catnip 3 months ago
        The problem with adoption is that the woman wants to move on with her life. Then years later the person she gave up can come barging into her life, with no regard whatsoever for what that intrusion is doing to her.

        Also, the problem with the older children is the selfish people who claim to be "desperate" to be parents, but will only take a newborn or infant.
    • Stacy
      Stacy  •  St Louis, Missouri  •  3 months ago
      Can we talk about adoption? I think that is something so overlooked. If you don't believe in abortion, then have the baby and make the decision to have your baby adopted by someone who can and want to take care of the baby. It is the most selfless thing one can do. There are 3 options here, not just two. We adopted two children, and cannot thank the two women that make such a brave decision. Brave, mature and courageous...
      • Linda
        Linda 3 months ago
        I agree. I have an adopted son (my only child as I was not able to conceive) who is 29 ys old now. He has made my life complete, not because he was easy to raise, but because he has helped me see the value and worth of every individual.
      • Nikki
        Nikki 3 months ago
        I hear you Stacy the adoption rate for black kids are sadly low (I'm black). I'm pro choice but with some limits. Like come on 1 maybe 2 but to overly have abortion after abortion is trifling. It's NOT to be use as a birth control method. I would love to adopt (I have a biological daughter and plan to have more kids), getting my husband onboard is another story...
      • Military Brat
        Military Brat 3 months ago
        I agree. My father was adopted as was most of his siblings. But sadly, there are so many children in the system as it is and a lot of people want a baby, not someone who is above the age of say 5 or 6. They want to have those moments of the baby developing. The family my dad adopted took him and he was maybe 9 or 10. I praise those who adopt with bias, even though I understand what they are wanting. But it's another kid who feels lost or unwanted maybe. Adoption IS an option, despite all this. I hear people say the abort though because of rape and the child is a constant a reminder. News flash: you ALWAYS carry a reminder, I know from personal experience. That child is not a "reminder", it's a gift nonetheless. Something wonderful same from something horrible. Just my thoughts. I won't ever debate abortion. I am pro-life. But I respect people having their own thoughts and opinions and don't want people feeling I am pushing them towards mine.
    • Crackhead Barry
      Crackhead Barry  •  3 months ago
      Was Sheri Shepard a hooker at one time or what?
      • Brett
        Brett 3 months ago
        who would pay for that puke?
      • get real
        get real 3 months ago
        I hadn't thought that way, but you're right. It could be a logical conclusion from what she said.
    • I'M SO
      I'M SO  •  3 months ago
      For all of you that are suggesting adoption, have you adopted any children? It is easy to say, but to do it is a whole different ball game. Everyone can't be the Pitt Family. Any women's decision is between her and God.
      • Teresa
        Teresa 3 months ago
        Do you really believe that God would be happy with if he allowed you to get pregnant with His GIFT to you and you reject it by sending it back to Him?
      • Carrie
        Carrie 3 months ago
        I agree - many of these women (although I don't doubt that believers have them too) don't believe in God, and therefore don't see that as a roadblock to the decision they're about to make.
      • Kathleen
        Kathleen 3 months ago
        Teresa, as I'm so stated, "Any woman's decision is between her and God", so your question is pointless. And do please tell me that you don't believe that a product of rape is a "gift from God".
    • Jacqui
      Jacqui  •  3 months ago
      Abortion is far more common than most people realize.
      • get real
        get real 3 months ago
        You're right! The estimate that I read was that about 50,000,000 babies have been murdered since Roe v Wade. That is beyond comprehension. We definitely have bloodshed on this land! We may have killed the cure for cancer and all kinds of other diseases? What about the cure for spinal cord injuries? I hope you get my point, but of course, the list goes on and on. I believe that children are a gift from God, and look at how many gifts were taken from us by this madness against humanity called abortion! How can we expect not to suffer as a nation when we allow this murderous rampage to go on?
      • sts
        sts 3 months ago
        it always has been common - the most common medical procedure even in Victorian times. even advertised in magazines - drugs not to be taken by pregnant women, but everybody knew what they really meant. of course back then if you had a child you couldn't take care of, it was probably going to die - you couldn't sign up for welfare and medicaid like girls now.
    • go girl
      go girl  •  Dallas, Texas  •  3 months ago
      What? Do we really want to hear about celebrity abortions?
    • ummm?!
      ummm?!  •  3 months ago
      Sherry S's comment about having a lot of abortions is very disturbing. Being on birth control or ANY type of protection during sex is a lot less expensive than mutiple abortions. Not to mention the havoc abortions have on the body. Dumb Dumb Dumb woman.
    • A Yahoo! User  •  3 months ago
      WOW! Eleven abortions. I am adamantly Pro-Choice. But I have to disagree with the statement, "You should do whatever you want with your body and you shouldn't let anyone tell you what to do." Abortion was made legal when I became 16. Giving me the impression that it was just a medical procedure. When my husband and I decided to become pregnant I realized that even the first three months, abortion really was ending a life. I always wonder even now, was another Mother Theresa just eliminated? Or what if Stephen Hawking was aborted? Sex is never going away and a teen's interest is never going to diminish. That's why birth control and birth control education is so important. Birth control and birth control education is NOT condoning sex, it is protecting an unborn child.
    • Melinda
      Melinda  •  3 months ago
      I had an abortion when I was 15 years old when I was raped by someone in leadership in the church my family attended. It was so terrifying on what to do and I had no help. I was threatened by the person that did it that if I told he would kill me and my family. When I confided to the head of the church about what happened, I was told not to say anything because it would bring shame on the church. Sometimes there are circumstances that seem out of our control and we don't know how we can even survive at the time and are just trying to protect ourselves and others
    • CD
      CD  •  3 months ago
      What a painful subject.
    • R. Salley
      R. Salley  •  Boulogne-Billancourt, France  •  3 months ago
      This is bound to cause a lot of discussion.
    • Lyn
      Lyn  •  Gulf Shores, Alabama  •  3 months ago
      Why is being Pro-Choice looked at as being "Anti-Life"? I understand why some women feel the need to abort, while others prefer to deliver and put up for adoption, or even keep their child. The fact is, whatever the choice it should be just that - a choice. When we no longer have any children available for adoption, when future adoptive parents have the same rights as natural parents (you take what the Good Lord gives you), then - maybe - I will change my mind.
    • Desiree W
      Desiree W  •  Stinnett, Texas  •  3 months ago
      You are right you do have a say over YOUR body but you DO NOT have the right to murder another (the baby) by abortion
    • Bill
      Bill  •  3 months ago
      So is this supposed to come as a shock or something?
    • K
      K  •  3 months ago
      Abstinence. Has ANYONE ever heard of it?! Geez, I had sex once when I was 24, and not again until I was almost married at the age of 32, then occasionally for about 6 months until I got divorced. Nothing since, going on 6.5 years...seriously, girls, KEEP YOUR LEGS CLOSED! I swear, it seems like people have no control over themselves!!!
    • squeak
      squeak  •  Dayton, Ohio  •  3 months ago
      Maybe Sherry Shepard's child that she decided not to abort has disabilities because of all those "lots of abortions" she claimed to have had. ABORTION IS NOT A FORM OF BIRTH CONTROL..
    • T
      T  •  3 months ago
      hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I think Steve Jobs when he finally met his Mom who gave him up for adoption thanked her for not aborting him...........last time I checked we all came from the womb ...so we all have a right to life ,......its a human rights issue .....
    • get real
      get real  •  Fayetteville, North Carolina  •  3 months ago
      Hooray for Sharnon Osbourne! She is trying to tell people not to have an abortion!!! I hope that young girls will heed her warning. I am shocked by Sherri Shepherd's confession about having a lot of abortions? She even says, "I swear to God ..."! That sent chills down my spine. Why did she think it was okay to use murder as her contraceptive? Her statement speaks volumes!!! I feel so sorry for her. If she now decides to have a child, she might just be shocked at the emotions that will surface. The reason that the Supreme Court is even contemplating reviewing Roe v Wade is because of the exhorbitant number of women who have suffered a plethora of ill effects after having an abortion. It runs the gamet from problems immediately after the abortion to even 20 and 30 years later. Children are a gift from God, and she could have been blessed by having that first precious baby. I think she uses the excuses that she talks about because she is rationalizing what she did. It's a very strong survival tool that humans use quite often!!!
    • KC
      KC  •  3 months ago
      I have a 20 year old. I have no regrets about NOT aborting her. She's made me cry tears of joy more than once....it's too bad Chelsea that you will NEVER be able to say the same.
    • JEM
      JEM  •  3 months ago
      The outrageous thing in this society is that these women are somehow seen as 'role-models' for the next generation, as someone to speak into the lives of young women today..... when they just speak DEATH not life.
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