"It is my body, not the state's." Busy Philipps testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee about terminating a pregnancy at 15 years old — and why restrictive abortion laws are bad for women.
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00:00It is my body, not the state's.
00:04Women and their doctors are the ones that are in the best position
00:08to make informed decisions about what is best for them.
00:12No one else.
00:24I had an abortion when I was 15 years old
00:27in my home state of Arizona in 1994.
00:31It was not a decision that I made lightly,
00:33but I have never for one moment doubted that it was the right decision for me.
00:38If I were that same 15-year-old in Arizona today legally,
00:42I would have to get parental consent,
00:44I would be forced to undergo a medically unnecessary ultrasound,
00:47go to a state-mandated in-person counseling session
00:50designed solely to shame me into changing my mind,
00:54and then take a state-mandated 24-hour time out
00:57to make sure I really know what I wanted.
01:00And finally, I would be forced to give the state a reason why.
01:05Well, here is mine.
01:09It is my body, not the state's.
01:24No bill that criminalizes abortion
01:27will stop anyone from making this incredibly painful decision.
01:31These bans will not stop abortion from happening.
01:35But they will drive women and girls and people into the shadows,
01:40which is what this has always been about,
01:43shaming and controlling women's bodies.
01:54In the week after I shared my story on my show,
01:57women were coming up to me in the street,
02:00in the supermarket, at my gym,
02:02with tears in their eyes thanking me for my bravery.
02:06But the word brave didn't sit right with me.
02:09Why is it brave to speak to an experience
02:12that millions of people around the world,
02:15throughout history, have gone through?
02:18And then I realized it is considered brave
02:22because as women we have been taught
02:25to feel shame about our bodies since birth.
02:28I'm here today to help destigmatize
02:31a legitimate medical procedure
02:34and continue to encourage women
02:37not to allow themselves to be shamed for their choices.
02:40And finally, I am here today for my two little girls,
02:43Bertie and Cricket.
02:46My dream for them is that they will live in a world
02:49where they have complete control over their own reproductive health.
02:52That is the dream I hold for all people,
02:55regardless of their privilege or parents
02:58or what state they live in.