Abortion Coercion: A Hidden Epidemic

Coerced abortions have been a poorly kept secret of the entertainment industry for ages. Vanity Fair has listed nearly a dozen major actresses of Old Hollywood, from Judy Garland to Ava Gardner to Jean Harlow, who were pushed to have abortions at the behest of studio bosses.

Such pressures continue today. For example, Cheryl James — one-third of Salt-N-Pepa’s platinum-album hip-hop group — spoke out in a recent interview about facing pressure to abort from record-label execs. James resisted that pressure, to the joy of herself and her daughter. But not all women are so successful.

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About the Author

Tessa Longbons

Tessa Longbons is a research associate at the Charlotte Lozier Institute and a co-author of the institute's Unwanted Abortion Studies.

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About the Author

David Reardon

David Reardon, a Lozier Institute associate scholar and director of the Elliot Institute, is the lead author of Lozier’s Unwanted Abortion Studies.

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Coerced abortions have been a poorly kept secret of the entertainment industry for ages. Vanity Fair has listed nearly a dozen major actresses of Old Hollywood, from Judy Garland to Ava Gardner to Jean Harlow, who were pushed to have abortions at the behest of studio bosses.

Such pressures continue today. For example, Cheryl James — one-third of Salt-N-Pepa’s platinum-album hip-hop group — spoke out in a recent interview about facing pressure to abort from record-label execs. James resisted that pressure, to the joy of herself and her daughter. But not all women are so successful.