Busy Philipps appeared in front of the U.S. Congress to testify against anti-abortion laws.
The 39-year-old actress voiced her concerns on Tuesday (04.06.19) over newly-passed legislation in the state of Alabama, which imposed strict restrictions on abortions, effectively banning them in nearly all cases as well as states including Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi, Utah, and Arkansas recently passing "heartbeat bills", which bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which is the earliest a doctor can detect a heartbeat in the foetus, and well before many women realise they’re pregnant.
The ‘Busy Tonight’ star – who recently revealed she had a termination when she was 15 – insisted that making abortions illegal won’t stop women from terminating their pregnancies but thinks it will force them "into the shadows" and says the new legislation is about "shaming and controlling women’s bodies".
She said: "[Criminalising abortion] Will not stop abortions from happening, but [it] will drive women and girls and people into the shadows, which is what this has always been about: shaming and controlling women’s bodies.
"The word bravery didn’t sit right with me. Why is it brave to speak to an experience millions of people in the world throughout history have gone through?
"And then I realised. It is considered brave because as women, we have been taught to feel shame about our bodies since birth."
The ‘Freaks and Geeks’ star shared a video of her speaking on twitter and revealed that although it was "one of the scarier things I have done" she’s proud to use her platform to speak about this issue.
She wrote: "This was one of the scarier things I have done in my life. But I am willing to use my platform and voice to speak for the overwhelming majority of Americans who believe that abortion care is health care and needs to remain safe & legal & accessible (sic)".
Busy Philipps testified in front of U.S. Congress against anti-abortion laws
