A month after delivering a poignant monologue on her talk show, Busy Tonight, about why she chose to get an abortion as a teenager, Busy Philipps testified in front of Congress regarding the current threats to women’s reproductive rights in our country. CBS News reports that Philipps, who was invited to testify on Tuesday afternoon by a House Judiciary subcommittee, spoke at length about her abortion — which occurred at the age of 15 in her home state of Arizona. “It was not a decision I made lightly. But I have never for a moment doubted that it was the right decision for me,†she began. “But so much has changed, in Arizona and other states, since then.â€
Touching on Georgia’s divisive anti-abortion law and the hurdles women have to go through to have the procedure in many states, Philipps outlined what it would take for a woman to safely receive an abortion in Arizona today. “Legally I would have to get parental consent. I would be forced to undergo a medically unnecessary ultrasound, to go to a state-mandated in-person counseling, designed solely to shame me into changing my mind, then take a state-mandated 24-hour time out to make sure I really knew what I wanted,†she explained. “And finally, I would be forced to give the state a reason why. Well, here is mine: My body belongs to me, not the state. Women and their doctors are in the best position to make informed decisions about what is best for them. No one else.â€
Philipps added, in closing: “Abortion is health care, and should not be treated as different from any other health care.â€