With how divided our media and society have become lately, especially on such a hot topic like abortion, many of us look to our celebrities to see how they are using their platforms to influence these issues and which side they are pushing for. We want to know how these stars feel about such a touchy subject because their voices are just a little bit louder than ours.
Our celebs have so many different ways to communicate with us and society in general, but there are a few who keep quiet on the touchy subject. There are also quite a few who are very passionate about the sensitive topic and make their views well known. They want to use their platform and voices to advocate for those who may not be able to advocate for themselves.
If we think a tweet from a celeb with over a million followers won't influence the way some people vote, we are nuts. Some of these feelings are due to personal roots and reasoning like celebs who were almost aborted themselves. Others want to define one's own body and what they can and cannot do with it. There is a fine line that no one can seem to agree on.
16 Kerry Washington (Pro-Choice)
Kerry Washington uses her show Scandal and her platform as an actress to de-stigmatize abortion.
When interviewed by WWD, Washington was quoted saying, "Abortion is a reality, and more often than not, it's a really difficult choice to make." Her character Olivia decided to have an abortion on the show which Kerry Washington believes helps reflect the real experiences of human beings and let them know that they are not alone in this tough decision.
Washington feels that the lack of representation in most of our tv shows, movies, and other media of abortion and the difficult decision these women make reinforce the stigma around abortion. The topic has become extremely controversial and touchy, but not talking about it isn't helping the situation.
15 Jack Nicholson (Pro-Life)
Jack Nicholson, a retired actor, certainly has a different perspective on the topic of abortion because he was almost aborted himself. Nicholson confesses that his mother had decided against terminating her pregnancy with him in a 1984 interview. His mother's decision is what influenced his belief to be "positively against" abortion.
Although Nicholson is a liberal and politically favors pro-choice, he says that he has no right to have any other view besides pro-life considering the very personal stake he has in the issue.
If his mother had exercised her right to choose, he wouldn't be here today. He claims his feeling toward his mother was one of gratitude because if she had been "of less character, I never would have gotten to live."
14 Amy Schumer (Pro-Choice)
Amy Schumer has been speaking out when it comes to so many different things woman that it's no surprise she's voiced her opinion on the topic of abortion. Schumer showed her support for abortion and Planned Parenthood in a photo back in 2014 wearing a Lena Dunham shirt reading "Lena (heart) Planned Parenthood."
Amy Schumer was also one of over two dozen celebs who tweeted with the hashtag "StandWithPP" and the same generic message as the other celebs back in May of this year “ALERT House just voted to repeal the ACA & “defund” @PPFA. Call your Senators to stop the bill→ http://istandwithpp.org/call #IStandWithPP.”
Schumer has voiced how she feels about the vote regarding the repeal of the American Health Care Act and 'defunding' of Planned Parenthood.
13 Celine Dion (Pro-Life)
Celine Dion is another star who almost wasn't born as she was baby number 14 to a woman who just obviously felt like she had too much on her plate. Lucky for Celine though her mother consulted the church and a priest suggested she had no reason or right to go against nature.
Imagine a world without the bestselling Canadian recording artist of all time?
Dion revealed her almost non-existence back in 2001 while pregnant with her first child. Celine Dion feels that she in a way owes her life to that priest. Dion is quoted saying, "Once she got over her disappointment that an abortion was out of the questions, she loved me as passionately as she'd loved the last little ones."
Despite her almost abortion, her mother realized how much she loved her daughter, and she was an obvious member of the family.
12 Kristen Bell (Pro-Choice)
Kristen Bell is also a celeb who believes women have the right to choose. The actress posted a video on Twitter where she says, "I stand with Planned Parenthood because I want my girls to have access to birth control behind my back one day."
We have all probably been there or had friends in a similar situation like this. Bell realizes the many different groups that Planned Parenthood helps and recognizes its importance. It's not just about abortion, but also about helping young women stay protected.
Bell also tweeted using the notorious hashtag "#StandwithPP" in a tweet back in 2015 when the vote was happening writing, "i #StandwithPP b/c sexuality is NATURAL and INEVITABLE. lets make it SAFE and HEALTHY. youtube.com/watch?v=Sbzad6...go girls!"
11 Patricia Heaton (Pro-Life)
Patricia Heaton is well known for her roles in Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle. The actress often uses her platform and Twitter account to show her support for the pro-life stance, but that's not all. In 1998, she became the honorary co-chair of Feminists for Life, a pro-life organization that aims to steer women away from choosing abortion.
Heaton was quoted saying "I find it impossible to subscribe to a philosophy that believes that the destruction of human life is a legitimate solution to a problem that is mostly social, economic, and psychological. In reality, most women 'choose' abortion because they believe they have no other choice."
This shows how the media and society have influenced what women think about their own pregnancy and situation as ready for a baby.
10 David Cross (Pro-Choice)
David Cross and his wife Amber Tamblyn starred in a video that served to show the enormous war on a woman's right to chose. They borrowed the term "gynotician" which is Cross's role in the video to show all of the outlandish and absurd restrictions that are being placed on women's health.
They used their celebrity platform and knack for comedy to upset people because they knew it would keep people talking about the issue. The video shows how difficult it is to even find a physician sometimes who is willing to talk about abortion and support women while they even make these difficult choices.
No matter what they decide, they should have all of the information and feel supported by their doctor. It also showcases the nasty interference politicians have imposed on the healthcare industry.
9 Mel Gibson (Pro Life)
Mel Gibson profoundly described how he is pro-life back in 1990 during an interview with Barbara Walters when he states, "God is the only one who knows how many children we should, and we should be ready to accept them. One can't decide for oneself who comes into this world and who doesn't. That decision doesn't belong to us."
He basically states the motto for how this decision is not one that is of human nature, and what should be on a pillow for the pro-life community and advocates.
The well known producer has brought a new perspective to the issue and profoundly explains his reasoning behind his side of a very controversial argument. Gibson's mother even provides evidence of a case where a mother put her unborn child selflessly before herself as her doctor believe she was risking her life by not terminating the pregnancy.
8 Elizabeth Banks (Pro-Choice)
Elizabeth Banks is an actress and a mother of two who is pro-choice. She shared the story of an abused woman who decided to terminate her pregnancy with the public to help raise awareness for the times where abortion is necessary. She believes that giving women this option so they do not have to carry a child they were forced into conceiving is essential.
She shares Rebecca's story and how women who were against abortion supported her because they were worried about Rebecca's life. She was the one who mattered which is the huge controversy for the pro-choice versus pro-life argument.
Whose life is more important, and how do we get to make that differential? Elizabeth was quoted by the DailyMail saying that "One of the worst things about getting an abortion is saying the word abortion," from the point of view of Rebecca, whose story she is telling.
The word has become so touchy and controversial.
7 Jessa Duggar Sweewald (Pro-Life)
As a part of the Duggar family, it is no shock that Jessa Duggar Sweewald is pro-life. The reality star from 19 Kids and Counting and Jill and Jessa: Counting On recently held a baby shower where gifts were donated to the Loving Choices Pregnancy Center of Arkansas.
This center offers counselling against abortion, ultrasounds, adoption help, and peer parenting support fitting with the Duggar family's ideal that abortion is murder and not an option.
Jessa and her family attended the March for Life. Following the march, Jessa posted a photo to Instagram of her sign saying "God Loves Life, Every Life from Beginning to End." Yes, that means that God loves those who aren't born yet according to the sign. Earlier that day, she had also posted "Let us take a stand for the unborn."
6 Julianne Moore (Pro-Choice)
Julianne Moore has been in a video supporting Planned Parenthood with Mary. J Blige. She also tweeted "Support @CecileRichards and @PPFA against attacks on women and reproductive health freedom. #StandwithPP" back in 2015.
Moore calls herself a passionate supporter of Planned Parenthood and is a long standing membered of the Planned Parenthood Federation of American Board of Advocates. She's been supporting the organization, raising awareness, and fundraising for over a decade!
Julianne Moore has thrown her support behind the organization for quite some time and realizes that value is has for life. She is a pro-choice advocate and uses her platform to fundraise for Planned Parenthood by donating items for them to use for auctions.
5 Tim Tebow (Pro-Life)
Tim Tebow is most well known for being a Christian football player who nows plays baseball. Tebow is also well known for being pro-life due not only to his religious beliefs, but because his own mother was told she should terminate her pregnancy. He is here today because of her decision to refuse abortion, and that's obviously reason enough for him to be pro-life.
Imagine a world and sports without Tim Tebow.
Tebow's mother actually bled a great deal of her pregnancy with Tim which is her doctor's reasoning for pushing for the abortion. Mrs. Tebow put her fate in God's hands as she says, and now calls Tim her "miracle baby."
Unlike how her doctor referred to her baby which was as a "tumor." Yep a medical professional compared a baby to a tumor and pro-lifers everywhere are enraged!
4 Kate Walsh (Pro-Choice)
Kate Walsh is a Planned Parenthood activist in real life, and she also plays Dr. Addison Montgomery in Grey's Anatomy and spin off Private Practice. In her role as a doctor, Walsh specifically deals with the hazy, touchy area of pro choice versus pro life on screen.
Walsh was a main character in a very controversial episode of Private Practice where she was a doctor performing a partial birth abortion on a patient which is an even more debated procedure.
In 2005, Kate Walsh joined the Planned Parenthood Board of Advocates. She has become one of the most outspoken actresses when it comes to being pro-choice. Walsh firmly believes there is so much more to Planned Parenthood than being as she tells Larry King an "abortion mill," but she still supports a woman's right to choice when and how they become a mother.
3 Justin Bieber (Pro-Life)
Justin Bieber was quoted saying "I really don't believe in abortion. I think [an embryo] is a human. It's like killing a baby" back in 2011 to Rolling Stone. His own mother also has a pro-life standing. In fact, when she was pregnant with Justin she turned a Crisis Pregnancy Center which she claims "saved their lives."
Justin's mom actually tells her story about her decision to not abort Justin in addition to Justin's public speaking about his stance on the issue. Justin's interview back in 2011 makes him rather young to fully understand abortion and it's meaning. He was just 16 at the time, but that doesn't make him much older than his own parents when they had him and debated this issue in real life.
2 Maggie Gyllenhaal (Pro-Choice)
Maggie Gyllenhaal tweeted "1 out of every 5 women has been to Planned Parenthood. Threatening their care gets politicians nowhere FAST with me. I proudly #StandWithPP" back in 2015 when the vote was happening to repeal the American Care Act and cut funding for Planned Parenthood.
Gyllenhaal has supported the organization her entire life. She also wrote an article about women's health and Planned Parenthood for Glamour magazine.
Maggie Gyllenaal's love and support for Planned Parenthood began when she was just six years old, and her mom had taken her to a rally. Maggie believes that "every woman has the right to decide what she can do with her body." She has two children who she hopes will one day be able to celebrate the freedom and right of Planned Parenthood versus fight for it.
1 Donald Trump (Pro-Life)
The conservative, Republican president gave a profound pro-life speech in Poland this year. He is quoted saying "And above all we value the dignity of every human life, protect the rights of every person, and share the hope of every soul to live in freedom."
Trump is one of the most unlikely pro-life presidents as it has been rumored to be part of an abortion or two years ago. He was also once a pro-choice, when legal, supporter.
Trump claims his switch was due to a couple of friends who wanted an abortion, but decided against it and had a "total superstar, a great, great child." His reasoning might be lackluster and even half-hearted leaving many skeptical of his true beliefs with this touchy topic.
Sources: www.dailymailk.co.uk, www.hollywoodreporter.com, www.wwd.com, www.ew.com, www.lifesitenews.com, www.mrctv.org,