After an actress took the stage at a pro-abortion rally, she began screaming about how great her life is because she had an abortion. She made headlines as she was captured on video boasting about her canceled talk show and her “beautiful f***ing home.” And, pro-lifers were quick to respond.
Elizabeth Jean “Busy” Philipps, an American actress and writer, might not have been very well known to many prior to a tirade that landed her name in the news. But, thanks to a screaming rant at a pro-abortion rally, in which she went into detail about how great her life is because she had an abortion at the age of 15, Busy Philipps quickly made headlines as a video of her screeching “speech” went viral.
According to Fox News, Philipps, who previously made headlines over her shock at losing her short-lived talk show, was speaking at a pro-abortion rally held by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) in front of the Supreme Court while justices heard oral arguments over a Louisiana law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at local hospitals.
Philipps, who serves on the creative council of CRR, took the stage to described her reaction to hearing that a 14-year-old girl was “being denied abortion services” in Ohio. Recalling that moment, Philipps said, “Here I was sitting in Los Angeles in my beautiful office of my own late-night talk show. Soon, I would be driving my hybrid car to my beautiful f***ing home, to kiss my two beautiful and healthy children and my husband who had taken the year off to parent so I could focus on my career.”
Philipps argued that “strangers and their own personal beliefs were going to keep this little girl from living the life she was dreaming of,” and that “smug politicians were controlling a 14-year-old girl’s body and future.” Feeling that she was in a unique position to advocate for girls in similar situations, after listing all the wonderful things in her life, she then screamed, “I have ALL OF THIS. ALL OF IT because — because — BECAUSE — I was allowed bodily autonomy at 15,” referring to her own abortion.
“I will not be shamed into being quiet,” Philipps added. “We will not be shamed into being quiet. Never again. I will NEVER stop talking about my abortion, or my periods, or my experiences in childbirth, my episiotomies, my yeast infections, or my ovulation that lines up with the moon!” she exclaimed as the pro-abortion crowd erupted into applause.
Video of the tirade was uploaded to Twitter, but not everyone shared the same enthusiasm as those at the rally. Instead, Busy Philipps was met with condemnation as pro-life women criticized the actress’s praise for abortion, saying, “Women deserve better.” Prominent conservative figures also came out to counter the arguments Busy Philipps presented, including Ben Shapiro who likened Philipp’s tirade to a “Bond villain speech”:
Shapiro, along with many pro-life women, denounced the idea that Busy Philipps’ abortion allowed her to become a success. “‘I’m rich because I killed a baby’ … That is a Bond villain speech,” Shapiro said, calling Philipps’ reason “evil.” Shapiro compared it to a James Bond villain saying that achieving his wealth wouldn’t have been possible without the murders he committed. “Progress is reliant on the death of innocents,” he said, impersonating the villain.
“What [Busy Philipps] is saying there? Evil. Horrendous,” Shapiro continued, adding that if a corporate head said this about their profits, people would think it’s “terrible.” According to Shapiro, Busy Philipps believing it’s an excuse to “kill a baby so she can have a nice office” is the same as “profiting off the deaths of innocents.” Criticizing her line of reasoning, he added, “I guess that, it’s proportionate now. So, if she had killed four babies, then she’d be a billionaire.”
Live Action President Lila Rose seemingly agreed with Shapiro’s sentiments. “[O]ur freedom and happiness can never be bought with the blood of our children,” she said. Jeanne Mancini, who leads the March for Life, also found Philipps’ vision of abortion “profoundly saddening.”
“Mother Theresa said it best: ‘Abortion is anti-woman. Three-quarters of its victims are women: half the babies and all the mothers,'” Mancini said. “Numerous groups exist to help a woman suffering from having taken the life of her unborn child,” Mancini added. “There is always hope and healing for anyone caught in the darkness, anger, agitation and depression of abortion.”
Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins also condemned Busy Philipps, saying women deserved “better” than what the actress was trying to promote.
“The tragedy here is a woman feeling like she and her child were in conflict for hope and a future,” Hawkins said. “The tragedy is that she didn’t know more about her options that didn’t have to be limited to abortion. The abortion industry undermines women’s confidence and sells them short before selling them an abortion. Women deserve better.”
Abby Johnson, a leading pro-life advocate who previously worked at Planned Parenthood, also condemned Philipps’ rhetoric, accusing the actress of instilling misinformation and fear in her audience.
“The fact that the abortion industry and their Hollywood pals are railing against this common-sense legislation shows you how little they care about women,” Johnson said. “This case is about putting women’s health and safety above profit, which is the exact opposite of what they are doing by demanding abortion doctors have no required admitting privileges to nearby hospitals, something that is common practice in every single other outpatient facility. The abortion industry thrives on misinformation and fear, something that Busy Philipps had no problems instilling in her audience outside the Court. She should be angry that women are left to contend with abhorrent conditions inside abortion clinics, doctors are barely able to practice because of repeated violations, and instruments being used on them that aren’t even sterilized.”
Whether you agree with abortions or not, the thought process that someone’s success was only achieved because they chose to have an abortion over giving birth is flawed thinking. Many mothers, myself included, have impressive success stories. In fact, some would say Busy Philipps’ “success” pales in comparison to many of those who chose life even though our circumstances weren’t optimal when we conceived. A child isn’t the end of your life’s great successes — many times, it’s just the beginning.
