In the wake of the repeal of Roe v. Wade in the US, celebrities have been flooding the internet with their anger at the Supreme Court decision as well as personal stories about their own experiences. Fresh from making her opinion clear on stage at Glastonbury alongside Olivia Rodrigo, Lily Allen has spoken out about the time she chose to have an abortion. The singer, 37, who is married to “Stranger Things” actor David Harbour and has two daughters from a previous relationship, concisely shared her thoughts in a single black-and-white Instagram Story. “I wish people would stop posting examples of exceptional reasons for having abortions. Most people I know, myself included, just didn’t want to have a f*cking baby.”
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Roe v. Wade was a landmark law that had been in place since 1973. It gave pregnant people the right to choose to have an abortion, but the new ruling has stripped women in up to 26 states in the USA of this right. That’s around 30 million people who can no longer legally end a pregnancy. Since the shocking news broke, discussions on social media about the extreme situations where abortions are necessary to have bubbled away.
People have pointed out that abortion is, in fact, the treatment for ectopic pregnancies and other health conditions. This way, abortion would save a woman’s life. In Allen’s opinion, this attitude is problematic. The British singer feels that simply not wanting to continue a pregnancy is “reason enough” to have an abortion: “WE DON’T HAVE TO JUSTIFY IT. It shouldn’t have to be said, and I think all these examples just play into the hands of the baddies.”
Fans of Allen were overjoyed to see her back on stage again for the first time in a very long time last week. Allen admitted on Instagram: “I didn’t know whether I’d be able to get up on stage like that sober again if I’m honest, a part of me thought it was all in the past. I had the most amazing day. Thanks, @oliviarodrigo for having us… Who knows, maybe I won’t hang up my ? just yet.”
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And Allen and Rodrigo had a political message to share regarding the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Rodrigo gushed about performing with Allen, saying it was “the biggest dream to come true”, but in the same breath, she expressed her “heartbreak” over the reverse of the abortion law. Before bringing the British icon on stage, the “Good For You” singer said, “So many women and so many girls are going to die because of this.” She dedicated the next song – Allen’s 2009 hit “F*ck You” – to the “five members of the Supreme Court who have shown us that at the end of the day they truly don’t give a sh*t about freedom.”
Allen confirmed her feelings towards the news on Instagram after the performance, writing: “Quite emosh. Things are truly messed up, but at least my babies got to see their mamma play and slay Glastonbury with their favourite pop star.”
Rodrigo and Allen weren’t the only artists to use the Glastonbury stage as a chance to condemn the heartless decision of the American Supreme Court. Headliner Billie Eilish took time out of her hour-and-a-half-long set to deliver a moving and succinct message. “Today is a really, really dark day for women in the US. I’m just gonna say that because I can’t bear to think about it any longer in this moment.”
