Busy Philipps Reveals She Had an Abortion When She Was 15 in Emotional Monologue

With just six episodes left in Busy Tonight‘s run on E!, host Busy Philipps has a rare opportunity to discuss whatever news items she wants. On Tuesday night, that topic happened to be abortion, and the host delivered a passionate monologue about Georgia’s new abortion bill, which would ban abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy — before many women even know that they’re pregnant. Philipps slammed the bill, saying that it “will put more women at risk,” and tearfully revealed that she had an abortion when she was 15 years old. “I’m genuinely scared for women and girls all over this country,” said an emotional Philipps. “We all need to be talking more and sharing our stories more.”

“Here are Busy Tonight, we tend not to be overtly political,” began Philipps at the top of the show. “But as it turns out, just trying to be a woman in the world is political. And I have a thing that I would like to say.” The Busy Tonight host said that regardless of viewers’ personal beliefs, she hopes they will “be open to hearing what [she’s] saying.” She continued, “This morning, Georgia’s governor signed a bill effectively banning abortion after 5-6 weeks into pregnancy. That’s before most women even know that they’re pregnant. I know that people feel very strongly about abortion, but let me just say this: women and their doctors are in the best position to make informed decisions about what is best for them — nobody else. Nobody.”

Philipps went on to say that the “reality” of the situation is that laws that “criminalize abortion” won’t “stop anyone from making this incredibly personal choice.” Instead, “these laws will put more women at risk. Said Philipps, “Every woman deserves compassion and care, not judgement and interference when it comes to their own bodies.”

“The statistic is one in four women will have an abortion before age 45, and that statistic sometimes surprises people. And maybe you’re sitting there thinking, ‘I don’t know any woman who would have an abortion,'” said Philipps. “Well, you know me. I had an abortion when I was 15 years old.” The Busy Tonight host fought back tears as she continued. “And I’m telling you this because I’m genuinely really scared for women and girls all over this country. And I think that we all need to be talking more and sharing our stories more.”

Philipps then pivoted to Monday night’s Met Gala, a more typical Busy Tonight subject. “So, let’s talk about the Met Gala,” she said, laughing. She noted that the “hard left turn” was “kind of jarring,” before adding, “But guess what? That’s what being a fucking woman is. Having a regular Tuesday and then suddenly being reminded that people are trying to police your body and then you just have to go back to work.”

Watch Philipps get real about abortion in the clip above.

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