Piers Morgan faces backlash for saying 'no woman wants to have an abortion'
Presenter Anne Robinson discusses her abortion in her twenties
Piers Morgan has been criticised for his opinions on abortion after saying "no woman wants to have one".
The presenter of new channel TalkTV, 57, was commenting on Countdown host Anne Robinson's individual experience with abortion after she said that if she had her time again she wouldn't have terminated her pregnancy in her twenties.
She was speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC's Woman's Hour in a conversation influenced by the concern that the legal right to abortion in the US (Roe v. Wade) will be officially overturned.
Robinson also said, however, she'd still want the right to have one and wouldn't deny anyone else the choice.
Read more: Over 95% of women who have an abortion do not regret it, study finds
"Very powerful insight into the reality of abortion," Morgan tweeted. "No woman wants to have one, or feels proud about it, and it often causes shame & regret.
"But I still believe, like Anne, that women should be allowed to make that choice for themselves."
His opinion was quickly met with backlash.
Read more: Women should be approved for abortions over Skype to ‘prevent distress’, say doctors
"That is categorically not true. Many women who have abortions do so because they want to and it's not always a complicated choice for people to make," one Twitter user responded.
"Many women also will not feel shame or regret and nor should they – this language is dripping in stigma."
Another echoed this, writing: "If this is how men want to support and be allies regarding this issue please just save it. Shut the hell up. A lot of women WANT to have abortions, don’t feel shame or regret about it and feel very proud about it because they have no reason not to. Cut the crap."
Read more: What you need to know about having an abortion
While Robinson and Barnett had discussed that some may feel shame for having an abortion, which could be made worse by it being made illegal, others further supported the fact that not all women do by sharing their own experiences.
"I wanted to have one and did! Haven't regretted it since for one second. Are women now to be judged on some new worthy angst-ridden criteria? Does it never end?" said one, in response to Morgan's comments.
"I'm proud I did," commented another.
Summarising the difference in experience, journalist Ash Sarkar added: "This language is so stigmatising. Abortion is a v difficult decision for lots of women. But for lots of women, it's not.
"And framing abortion so negatively creates room for anti-choicers."
To find out more information on abortion visit the NHS' website or visit the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) for support.
