Uma Thurman has issued a scathing critique of Texas' abortion laws in an op-ed column for The Washington Post.
The Kill Bill actor stated that she had followed the law "with great sadness and something akin to horror", and that she wanted to share her own experiences "in the hope of drawing the flames of controversy away from the vulnerable women on whom this law will have an immediate effect."
The abortion law — which is one of the harshest in the US — came into effect at the start of September, and bans abortions when fetal cardiac activity is detected. Controversially, this is normally before many women have even realized that they are pregnant, and could ban the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy.
It includes cases where women have been impregnated as a result of rape or incest. There is an exception for medical emergencies.
Thurman, 51, revealed in the op-ed how she accidentally became pregnant in her late teens by an older man. Despite wanting to keep the child, she and her family ultimately decided that a termination would be the best option due to her age and circumstances.
"I started my acting career at 15, working in an environment where I was often the only kid in the room," she wrote. "In my late teens, I was accidentally impregnated by a much older man. I was living out of a suitcase in Europe, far from my family, and about to start a job. I struggled to figure out what to do. I wanted to keep the baby, but how?"
The actor continued:
"We decided as a family that I couldn’t go through with the pregnancy, and agreed that termination was the right choice. My heart was broken nonetheless.
"The abortion I had as a teenager was the hardest decision of my life, one that caused me anguish then and that saddens me even now, but it was the path to the life full of joy and love that I have experienced.
"Choosing not to keep that early pregnancy allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted and needed to be."
The Pulp Fiction star added that she struggled with the shame that she internalized as a result of the procedure, referring to it as her "darkest secret".
She went on to deem the Texas abortion law a "human rights crisis" and a "discriminatory tool against those who are economically disadvantaged".
The actor, who now has three children, added that she was sharing her story so that "some light will shine through, reaching women and girls who might feel a shame that they can't protect themselves from and have no agency over."
The Texas abortion law is currently in effect in the state, but is being contested in the courts.