This, sadly, not just in:
People can be very cruel on the Internet.
Chelsea Handler likely was already aware of this fact, but she has received many painful reminders over the last few days.
Earlier this week, the comedian wrote a personal essay for Playboy in which she made a startling admission:
She had not one, but TWO abortions at the age of 16.
“Getting unintentionally pregnant more than once is irresponsible, but it’s still necessary to make a thoughtful decision,” wrote Handler, praising the Supreme Court’s recent decision to shoot down a Texas law that restricted access to abortions for many women.
She added: “We all make mistakes all the time. I happened to f-ck up twice at the age of 16.”
In the least likely development on the Web this week, critics have responded to Handler’s confession very harshly.
Many people out there seem to think the talk show host was bragging about those unfortunate incidents when she was a teenager.
In response, Handler has come out with the following Tweet:
“When I agreed to write an article on a woman’s right to choose, I certainly wasn’t bragging. I chose to tell the truth. #shouldbemoreofit.”
Handler clearly wishes she could take back some of the decisions she made at age 16, but that doesn’t mean she regrets the choice she made to terminate her pregnancies.
“I’m 41 now,” she wrote. “I don’t ever look back and think, ‘God, I wish I’d had that baby.’”
Abortion is clearly a sensitive issue and a tough one to discuss in public.
So we understand why this turned into a hot button topic on social media.
But the following Tweets directed at Handler appear to have crossed, like, every line out there:
You are free to feel about Handler’s decisions however you please, of course.
But she didn’t break any laws. She chose what she thought was best for her at the time.
“It’s okay if you think it’s not right for women to have abortions – but it’s not your problem, because we decide,” she concluded in Playboy.
“We have 7.3 billion people on this planet. Anybody who carefully decides not to become a parent – let alone a bad parent, which is what I would have become – should be applauded for making a smart and sustainable decision.
“I’d love for somebody to try to tell me what to do with my body. I dare them.”