Lily Allen, 40, has left people fuming after she revealed she “can’t remember” how many abortions she has had over the years.
The singer – mum to Ethel, 13, and Marnie, 11 – was back for another episode of her podcast, Miss Me?, with pal Miquita Oliver this week.
On the podcast, Smile singer Lily Allen and Miquita opened up about their experience with abortions – but Lily’s comments have sparked a wave of backlash from some quarters of social media.
Lily Allen doesn’t know how many abortions she’s had
On the podcast, Lily said: “I have an IUD [a form of contraception] now, I think I’m on my third, maybe fourth, and I just remember, before that was a complete disaster area. I was just… Yeah, I’d get pregnant all the time.”
Miquita then revealed she didn’t know if Lily had ever had an abortion, to which Lily started to sing to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s My Way.
She sang: “Abortions I’ve had a few… but then again… I can’t remember exactly how many.”
Lily continued: “I can’t remember. I think maybe like, I want to say four or five.”
Miquita then replied: “I’ve had about five too! Lily, I’ve never I’m so happy that I can say that and you can say it and no one came to shoot us down, no judgment. We’ve had about the same amount of abortions.”
‘I actually think that is romantic’
Recalling one of her experiences, Lily shared: “I remember once getting pregnant and the man paying for my abortion, and me thinking it was so romantic!”
Miquita – who does not have any children – replied: ‘I actually think that is romantic!” Lily added: “Think about that investment, like that’s how much is it, £500? Kids are a lot more expensive.”
The pop star also shared that after terminating the pregnancy, she didn’t hear from the man again. She quipped: “I mean fair to be honest. I was a [bleep]ing crazy [bleep] – still am!”
‘Why should I be ashamed?’
Miquita then spoke about her first experiences with sex. The TV presenter revealed that while at the local contraceptive clinic, she bumped into several people from school. “I think as a young woman starting your contraceptive journey I was quite excited. It meant that I was having sex,” Miquita said.
She then shared: “I felt really embarrassed to even say that I had more than one abortion. But why the [bleep] should I be ashamed? I have had a few.”
Literally: ‘Don’t want a baby’ is enough reason.
Lily also shared her annoyance when having to justify having an abortion. “It actually irritates me, and I’ve said it before on the record. I’ve seen memes going around sometimes, on Instagram from pro-abortion accounts or whatever, whenever this conversation comes up, and suddenly you start seeing people posting things about extraordinary reasons for having an abortion,” she said.
Lily added: “Like: ‘My aunt had a kid that had this disability,’ or ‘if she went full term it was going to kill her, so we have to.’ It’s like, shut up! Just: ‘I don’t want a [bleep]ing baby right now.’ Literally: ‘Don’t want a baby’ is enough reason.”
Lily sparks backlash
However, Lily’s comments have divided listeners.
On X, one person said: “Attention seeking again. For her negative attention is better than no attention at all. Her parents must be so proud.” Someone else added: “Shocking!”
A third also wrote: “Wherever you fall on the abortion rights line, everyone must agree that this is an absolutely reprehensible thing to say.” Another person penned: “I am and always will be pro-choice. However, to use this as a contraceptive and to talk about getting abortions like getting your hair cut is disgusting.”
“How is it romantic to have an abortion, Lily Allen?” asked another tagging her.
However, in the comments section of the podcast’s YouTube video, one person defended Lily.
They wrote: “Thanks for sharing your experiences. Us blokes definitely need to take more ownership of this i.e. a topical gel or just a plain old condom – not fair on you all that all the onus is on the woman to be responsible for preventing unwanted pregnancies.”
Others agreed, liking his comment by giving it the thumbs up.
If you need help or advice, you can contact the British Pregnancy Advisory Service confidentiality, and for free, here.
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