Why Alyssa Milano chose to have two abortions in her 20s

Alyssa Milano is standing by her decision to have two abortions in the early 1990s. During Monday’s episode of her podcast, “Sorry Not Sorry,� the “Charmed� alum and abortion-rights activist talked about two pregnancies in her early 20s and why she chose to terminate them.

“I would never had been free to be myself, and that’s what this fight is all about,� Milano said. “Freedom from oppression, freedom for women to have the audacity to be equally sexual beings as men. Freedom for women to live the life they were meant to have, not just the life that is thrust upon them by a pregnancy that cannot exist in their life.�

Shortly after leaving her hit sitcom “Who’s the Boss,� where she grew up on television over the course of eight seasons, Milano said she had two back-to-back abortions after she became pregnant due to complications with her birth control.

“I knew at that time I was not equipped to be a mother, and so I chose to have an abortion,� she said. “It was my choice, and it was absolutely the right choice for me.�

Decades later, Milano is now the mother of two “beautiful, perfect, loving� kids and has contemplated how her life would have looked if she‘d had a child earlier on. She hasn’t changed her mind.

“I would not have my career,� she said. “I would not have the ability or platform I use to fight against oppression with all my heart. I would never have met my amazing husband, David, whose steadfast and immeasurable love for me sustains me through these terrifying times.�

Also contributing to her choice was her ongoing battle with anxiety and the fact that the acne medication she was using in 1993 had the potential to cause birth defects. Still, she said the decision was not a simple one.

“It was devastating,� she said. “I was raised Catholic and was suddenly put in conflict with my faith. A faith I was coming to realize empowered only men to make every single decision about what was allowed and what was not allowed.�

The episode, titled “My Abortion Story,� is currently available for download on Apple Podcasts.