Sally Field shares own ‘traumatic’ illegal abortion story to urge votes for Harris: ‘We can’t go back’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Sally Field, the celebrated actress, is making headlines as she opens up about her traumatic illegal abortion from 1964, just as the 2024 presidential election draws near. The Oscar winner recounted her ordeal prior to the landmark Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision, which affirmed the right to abortion in the United States. 

In a candid Instagram video, Field shared her harrowing experience, describing it as "beyond hideous," and revealed the intense pain she endured without any anesthesia.

Her powerful testimony sheds light on the struggles many faced before the legal protection of reproductive rights. She also urged people to vote for presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the upcoming election on November 5.

Sally Field speaks about her 1964 illegal abortion experience

On October 1, Sunday, Sally Field took to her official Instagram account to share her abortion experience at the age of 17. Reflecting on her teenage years, she expressed feeling "very shamed about it," noting that she was "raised in the '50s, and it's ingrained in me."

She explained, "I had no choices in my life, I didn't have a lot of family support or finances. I graduated high school but no one ever said, 'How about college?' Nothing. I didn't know what I was gonna be. And then I found out I was pregnant."

At that time, Field found a family doctor who took her and her mother to a "scroungy-looking street." She recalled, "It was scary; and he parked about three blocks away and said, 'See that building down there?' And he gave me an envelope with cash and I was to walk into that building and give them the cash and then come right back to him." 

She described the illegal experience as "beyond hideous and life-altering." Notably, she revealed that she received "no anesthetic" during the entire procedure. "There was a technician giving me a few puffs of ether but he would then take it away, so it just made my arms and legs feel numb weird, but I felt everything — how much pain I was in."

She also disclosed how the situation soon turned into a darker chapter in her life, "I realized that the technician was actually molesting me, so I had to figure out, how can I make my arms move to push him away? So it was just this absolute pit of shame. And then, when it was finished, they said, 'Go go go go go!', like the building was on fire. And they didn't want me there, you know, it was illegal!"

Sally Field urges followers to vote for Kamala Harris

Sally Field praised her doctor for his "generosity" and "bravery," noting that he could have lost his license if anyone had discovered what he did for her. 

She added, "And more probably, because I was too naive to know anything. I'd never been out of the state, I'd never been on an airplane. And fate, you know, something glorious outside of ourselves, whatever you believe, reached in." 

She reflected on how fate intervened, saying, "And a few months after that, I began auditions. I didn't have an agent; I wasn't really an actor. I'd been doing it in high school constantly. And I began auditioning. And by the end of that year, I was Gidget. I was the quintessential, all-American girl next door."

Referencing her 2018 memoir, 'In Pieces', she shared, "The thing that I wrote about in the book, in reality, I was the quintessential, all-American girl next door, because so many young women, my generation of women, were going through this." 

She emphasized that many women today face similar challenges when trying to access reproductive care, saying, "And it's beyond, how you can go back to that and do that to our little girls and our young women, and not have respect and regard for their health and their own decisions about whether they feel they're able to give birth to a child at that time."

"We can’t go back; we must all stand up and fight, And that was that lovely story," she concluded.  

She posted the video along with a lengthy caption, admitting she had been "so hesitant... to tell my horrific story." 

"A time when contraception was not readily available and only if you were married" she wrote. "But I feel that so many women of my generation went through similar, traumatic events and I feel stronger when I think of them. I believe, like me, they must want to fight for their grandchildren and all the young women of this country."

Field expressed that this issue is one reason she and many others support Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the upcoming election. 

She concluded, "Everyone, please, pay attention to this election, up and down the ballot, in every state — especially those with ballot initiatives that could protect reproductive freedom. PLEASE. WE CAN’T GO BACK!!" 

Sally Field’s fans extend support by saying, ‘We won’t go back’

Within a day of posting, Sally Field's message received thousands of likes, with many fans expressing their support. Numerous users praised her for courageously sharing her traumatic experience. One user said, "Sally, thank you for sharing. As Brene Brown says, shame dies when stories are told in safe spaces. I see you, I honor you. Thank you for your voice in a time such as this. We won't go back. Restore Roe." 

Another user shared, "Oh, precious Sally. Thank you so much for speaking your truth!" A user said, "Thank you so much for telling us your story! People need to know how horrific the path to roe v wade really was- how it was paved with a river of blood, shame, and women who didn’t make it. I’m so sorry you had to live through this horrible incident." 

An Instagram user said, "We love you," and another person wrote, "difficult story in the name of helping other women ❤️"

Someone else claimed, "Your story will resonate with so many women. Thank you for being brave and sharing it. 👏🏻❤️"

One netizen penned, "I adore you even more for sharing this. You paved the way for so many women. Thank you for sharing." Another individual wrote, "So incredibly brave. Thank you for sharing your story! Let’s make sure we elect @kamalaharris and restore Roe! 💙"

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