As our basic human rights are taken away, women are sharing their stories. We’re hearing stories from women who’ve had miscarriages, who’ve had abortions and who have had to make necessary choices for their lives. These are our choices to make and they’ve been taken away from us by an evil minority, frankly. I hope, pray and protest that we’ll get control over our bodies back soon. DWTS veteran Cheryl Burke recently shared the fact that she had an abortion at 18. Abortions should be available on demand as they’re basic healthcare. Unfortunately a woman’s socioeconomic status and location will now influence whether she can terminate a pregnancy. Cheryl posted to TikTok sharing this and stating that her life would have been so much different if abortion wasn’t an option. I’m covering this because I really appreciated how heartfelt and open Cheryl was in sharing her story. You can see her video below and here’s People’s writeup on what she said.
Cheryl Burke… opened up about her experience, saying, “I am saddened by the news this morning and it weighs heavy in my heart because I had an abortion when I was 18 years old. If it wasn’t for places like Planned Parenthood, I would be a mother and I wouldn’t have been a great mother and I definitely wouldn’t be sitting here with you today.”
“You’re taking away women’s rights, our bodies, our freedom. Our bodies have nothing to do with anybody else, right? This is a decision that we need to make,” she added.
She explained in the video that she decided to get an abortion at a point in her life where she “was going through a really huge transition.”
“I was practicing safe sex. I was using protection and I was on birth control and s–– happens,” she said. “I was two weeks pregnant when I got an abortion. I remember rolling up to Planned Parenthood with Picketers holding anti-abortion signs and that alone was traumatic. But, on top of it all, the whole process is traumatic and the fact that now, you’re making it illegal for us women to make this decision about our own bodies is absolutely insanity.”
Added Burke: “It’s nobody’s business and honestly, I’m happy that I made that decision. I have no regrets, there’s no shame behind it. I’ve just chosen to share it now, but that doesn’t mean that there was any shame.”
Cheryl said she was two weeks pregnant, but the clock starts on the first day of your last period. You’re technically two weeks pregnant at the time of conception, so in medical terms she was likely six weeks pregnant (two weeks past a missed period). This used to be the cutoff date in Texas before SCOTUS overturned human rights. I mention this not to correct her, but in case there are readers who don’t know this. The laws in some states were draconian before and are even worse now. I wish we didn’t have to share these stories to plead for our basic rights. Abortion is a human right and abortion is basic health care. She’s right that there’s no shame in it and that there are many women who are just not ready to be mothers. Pregnancy, birth and motherhood are traumatic and the support net in the US is one of the worst in the developed world. This ruling will result in countless deaths. As we’ve seen time and again, the people making these decisions don’t care.
@cherylburkeofficial I’m saddened by the Supreme Court’s decisions right to overturn #roevwade that guarantees a woman’s right to choose… #women #womenrights #roevswade #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #foryourpage #freedom #selflove #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthawareness ♬ original sound – Cheryl Burke
Photos credit: Avalon.red
Forever grateful for my abortion. I already had three kids. I am forever grateful to the woman who was sitting next to me. She was in similar circumstances. Thank you to abortion providers.