Halsey pens essay in response to Roe v. Wade reversal: “My abortion saved my life”

Following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, which rescinded the constitutional right to an abortion in the United States, Vogue has published a series of essays on the subject. Adding her voice to the chorus of outrage, Halsey shared a reflection on her own experience with the subject.

The artist has been transparent about her endometriosis and multiple miscarriages in interviews and through her music. “One of my miscarriages required ‘aftercare,’ a gentle way of saying that I would need an abortion, because my body could not terminate the pregnancy completely on its own and I would risk going into sepsis without medical intervention,” she writes in the new essay. “During this procedure, I cried. I was afraid for myself and I was helpless. I was desperate to end the pregnancy that was threatening my life.”

She goes on to explain that she had rewritten her will before giving birth to her son in June 2021: “After my past experiences, I was prepared for the worst. I gave detailed instructions regarding the donation of my organs should I die or be declared brain-dead, meaning if my heart beat on but my brain wasn’t functioning, the state would have permission to cut into my warm and still flush flesh and take my organs to save other lives. How funny that while my own heart would amount to nothing more than a series of involuntary movements on an operating table, a beating heart in my womb could mean I couldn’t consent to saving my own life.”

The singer says she’s “never felt more strongly about” the right to abortion after finally experiencing a successful pregnancy and delivery. “My abortion saved my life and gave way for my son to have his,” she writes. “Every person deserves the right to choose when, if, and how they have this dangerous and life-altering experience. I will hold my son in one arm, and fight with all my might with the other.”