In late 2014, Rolling Stones magazine published an interview that sent waves across the world. The interview talked about Nicki Minaj’s abortion. Abortion is usually a taboo topic but Nicki Minaj has never been shy. She had already referred to her abortion in her songs. First in a mixtape track called “Autobiography”.
“I didn’t expect anyone to hear,” Minaj said about the abortion reference in that song.
Later, in her song “All Things Go” from the album The Pinkprint, Minaj again mentioned her abortion. This time she knew she had a huge audience. “Millions of people are gonna hear it. And you gotta watch everything you say — people find an issue with every fucking thing,” she said about the second song.
In the Rolling Stones interview, there are scant but important details about Nicki Minaj’s abortion. Minaj shared that her first love was an older man from Queens in New York. This relationship blossomed when Minaj studied at the famous performing-arts high school LaGuardia in Manhattan.
“I thought I was going to die,” Minaj shared how she felt when she found out about her pregnancy.
Minaj explained that as a teenager, she was scared for herself. She decided to have an abortion because she knew that was the right choice for her at that time. “I wasn’t ready. I didn’t have anything to offer a child,” she said with raw honesty.
Abortion Stories of Other Celebrities
Minaj is not the first celebrity to publicly talk about her abortion experience. In fact, Nicki Minaj’s abortion story joins the list of stories of many media personalities. In 2021, Uma Thurman – the Kill Bill diva – wrote an intimate essay, detailing her abortion at the age of 15. Laura Prepon, the Orange is the New Black actress, revealed in 2020 that she had an abortion because her life was at risk. Similar tales have been shared by Sinead O’ Connor, Hannah Gadsby, Jameela Jamil and many more.
It is very important to have powerful women talk about this private yet crucial decision. Nicki Minaj’s abortion story and stories of other celebrities empower women in other walks of life. These women learn that they are not alone in having to make such a choice. This has become even more important now that the United States of America is rolling back its abortion rights.
Nicki Minaj’s abortion and USA today
In June this year, the US Supreme Court overturned a landmark court ruling from 1973, which declared abortion a constitutional right. Famously known as Roe vs Wade, the ruling protected abortion rights for nearly 50 years. With the latest development, abortion will become illegal and unavailable in many parts of the US.
As has happened before in the US and continues to happen in other countries around the world, abortion bans lead to illegal abortion practices. This puts people’s lives in danger. It is unfortunate that governments and courts try to interfere in people’s personal lives and put them at risk. Even something as private as abortion is not out of bound.
Abortions are not Rare
The decision to have an abortion is not a simple choice and the last thing anyone needs is bans and punishment. Even for Nicki Minaj, her unplanned pregnancy was the hardest thing she had ever gone through. A 39-year-old superstar with immigrant background and a difficult home. Having traveled and performed around the world and amassed great wealth and experiences. And still, this was a difficult experience. She is not alone in feeling this way. Nearly half of the pregnancies in the world are unplanned and many people – 25% – decide to have an abortion.
However, unfortunately, this simple and safe medical procedure remains shrouded in mystery, misinformation and worse – stigma; making any discussion around this vital service rare and difficult. But this is exactly what our social enterprise safe2choose aims to tackle and address.
Abortion Care
Atsafe2choose, we work to ensure easy and safe access to abortion and other reproductive health services. Through our international online patform, we offer free information, care and counselling to those who want to have an abortion – either at home with pills or through a surgical procedure at a medical facility. We help you make the right decision based on correct information and available options.
Counselling for Abortion
One of the core services we provide through safe2choose is safe abortion counseling, listening to you, providing accurate information and informing you about available options. We manage to do all of this thanks to our team of medically-trained female counselors. Located around the world, our counselors possess local knowledge – cultural barriers, available facilities, financial costs etc. – and speak more than 10 languages. Our current roster of counselors speak English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, Hebrew, Kiswahili and Wolof. They are available from Monday to Friday, but since they are located in different time zones, the response time may vary but a query is never unaddressed.
A Trusted Friend for Abortion
Our kind and empathic counselors use latest scientific information about abortion as well as consider global discussions and practices around it to guide you; and undergo frequent trainings to keep getting better at what they do with love and care. With no place for judgment and stigma in their work, they support you throughout the abortion process and keep all the data safe.
During the counseling sessions, which are organized in the most efficient and useful way, our counselors listen to your story, help you process all the emotions you might be feeling and address your various big and small questions. Keeping in mind all of this, they provide you with information that fits your needs and wants – focusing on your safety and wellbeing. In other words, they empower you to make the right decision for yourself.
Abortion in Your Country
If you need a local contact – either to find pills and have an abortion at home or to visit a medical clinic for surgical abortion – our counsellors can also provide you names of trusted and trained providers from our safe2choose network, who can help you with this journey. We enlist providers after a rigorous vetting process, ensuring that they are not just medically top-notch but also hold the same values of choice, empathy and respect as us.
If you yourself or someone you know would like to get abortion counselling, you can get in touch with our counsellors either by emailing us and starting a live chat via our website: safe2choose.org