- Five members of Congress shared their personal abortion stories in a video published by Elle.
- "They're all rooted in this idea of it's our choice," Rep. Pramila Jayapal said of their stories.
- The emotional video comes as the Supreme Court appears poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Five sitting members of Congress have publicly shared personal experiences with abortion: Reps. Cori Bush, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, and Jackie Speier and Sen. Gary Peters.
Elle magazine published an emotional video of the lawmakers discussing their stories on Wednesday, two days after a leaked draft opinion appeared to show the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
"The thing that strikes me is how different each of our experiences was, but also how they're all rooted in this idea of it's our choice," said Jayapal, who shared she had an abortion after a difficult first pregnancy that resulted in many medical issues for her and her baby.
Jayapal said her doctor told her there was no guarantee she wouldn't have the same issues with a second pregnancy. She said even though she wanted another baby, she could not go through that experience again and take care of herself and her child.
Lee said she had an abortion after getting pregnant in 11th grade, well before the Roe v. Wade decision. Her mother heard of a clinic she could go to in Juárez, Mexico, and sent her on a plane with $200 to pay for the procedure.
"It was a back-alley clinic," Lee said, fighting back tears. "It was dark. So of course I was fearful and worried, and afterwards, I thanked God that I survived."
Watch the full video at Elle.