Warning: This story contains language about rape and sexual assault.
Ireland Baldwinis sharing her story about being a victim of rape and, later in her life, getting an abortion.
In aTikTokvideo she posted Sunday captioned “I’m here for you,” the 26-year-old model spoke about her own experiences, in the wake of theU.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturnRoe v. WadeFriday.
She began with a disclaimer: “Before I share what I am going to share, I don’t feel that it is anybody’s responsibility to talk about this if they don’t feel comfortable. I’ve seen countless TikToks in the last 24 hours where women are telling other women that it is their responsibility to share their abortion story and I find that to be invasive and wrong and just simply not true.”
“I am onlynow sharing my storybecause I want other women to feel supported and loved, whether they want to share their own or not,” she noted.
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Baldwin then revealed, “I was raped when I was a teenager and I was completely unconscious when it happened and it changed the course of the rest of my life.”
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Baldwin went on to say she didn’t tell “anyone” except for a nurse who treated her shortly after it happened, including her boyfriend at the time or even her parents,Kim BasingerandAlec Baldwin.
“I kept that secret inside of me for years, and because I did, it caused a lot of hurt and a lot of pain to me and to people I love,” she said.
The model said she “spiraled” because she “harbored so much pain and so much guilt for so long,” and as a result, “lost control of [her] life.”
Ireland Baldwin.Ireland Baldwin TikTok
“Idrank a lot more, I partied a lot more, I self-medicated, I was in other abusive and toxic relationships and friendships. I pretty much just did everything I could to distract myself,” she continued.
RELATED VIDEO: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade, Eliminating the Constitutional Right to Abortion
Later in her life, Baldwin said, she got pregnant unexpectedly with her boyfriend at the time, whom she was “very unhappy” with, “and he made it pretty clear that he never wanted kids or marriage. He barely wanted to be in a serious relationship.”
“Ichose to get an abortionbecause I know exactly what it felt like to be born between two people who hated each other,” she shared.
“I chose me, and I would choose me again. It’syour life, it’s your choice,” she concluded.
Abortion rights activists protesting in the wake of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade outside the U.S. Supreme Court Building on June 25, 2022 in Washington, D.C.Anna Moneymaker/Getty
Since the decision, states such as Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and South Dakota have alreadybanned abortionafterputting “trigger bans” in placethat governors enacted after the SCOTUS ruling.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
