Actress Jameela Jamil Slams Abortion Law And Shares Her Own Abortion Story And The Response Is Divided

British actress Jameela Jamil once known mainly for her role on the TV series The Good Place, has made a name for herself on social media platforms for her unapologetic messages on feminism and the entertainment industry. Jamil has made waves online again recently for calling out Georgia’s move to ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat has been detected and sharing her own abortion story in the process.

The actress and body positivity activist called the bill “inhumane” and “blatantly demonstrative of a hatred of women” in a series of tweets. Jamil went on to reveal that she herself had had an abortion at a young and said: “it was the best decision” she ever made. As with her other candid statements she has made before the response to her tweets were mixed.

Actress Jameela Jamil caused a stir on the internet after she slammed Georgia’s new ‘heartbeat’ abortion law and opened up about her own personal abortion story

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Image credits: JamilSmith

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed legislation this week that banned abortions once a fetus has a detectable heartbeat, which generally occurs during six weeks of pregnancy. Jameel began her thread by addressing how the bill would affect women of color disproportionately. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control women of color still obtain abortions at a rate two to three times higher than the rate for white women. The higher rates of abortions are in line with the higher rate of ‘unintended pregnancies’ among women of color. In 2008, 69% of all pregnancies among Black women were unintended, compared to 56% of pregnancies unintended for Hispanic women and 42% unintended for white women. The reason behind these statistics is cited as limited access to affordable and effective contraception for these communities.

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The actress went on to address the spread of similar bans that she said were an attempt to overturn the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade. Georgia’s new legislation is set to become law on Jan. 1, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB). The state joins moves by Republican governors in Ohio, Kentucky, and Mississippi, who signed similar versions of what is known as the fetal “heartbeat” bill earlier this year. The Louisiana state senate also advanced similar measures on Monday, according to The Advocate.

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Another hot button argument she pointed out was the issue of rape and how she believed forcing women to carry the baby of their rapist demonstrated “hatred of women.” According to the GPB women would still be able to receive an abortion under the new law if the pregnancy is believed to be “medically futile,” the woman’s life is at risk or if a police report has been filed related to rape or incest.

After criticizing the bill she revealed that she herself had had an abortion at a young age

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‘The Good Place’ actress said that she had gotten pregnant young and that her decision to terminate her pregnancy was “the best decision” she ever made. Jamil explained that she had not been ready for a baby emotionally, psychologically or financially and brought up that many children end up in foster homes as a result of mothers in unfit situations. According to Children’s Rights, on any given day, there are nearly 443,000 children in foster care in the United States.

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She ended her thread by stating that she did not intend to make and “diss” towards foster homes but instead felt that because of the bill Georgia could become “inundated with children who are unwanted.” Jamil is not the first celebrity to share their abortion story. Some other notable names who have spoken out about the controversial topic include Busy Philipps, Rose, McGowan, Nicki Minaj, and Naya Rivera.