(Reporter)
Wednesday was one of the biggest days in nearly 50 years for abortion rights, as the hard-right-leaning Supreme Court heard arguments in a Mississippi case that could upend Roe v. Wade. A big name has now been taken into account, speaking from her own experience and insisting that “we must never retract our hard-earned reproductive rights.” In her article for Washington PostTennis legend Billie Jean King says that in 1971, when she was 27 and the highest-rated tennis player in the world, she experienced an unexpected pregnancy, helping start her first professional women’s tour. . She notes that she got pregnant after she nearly threw up on the tennis court while playing. King told the press she had the flu, and she and her then-husband, World TeamTennis founder Larry King, discussed what to do. Their marriage was shaky, and her husband left it to her.
It wasn’t tennis that drove her decision. “Our lives were so complex and unpredictable that I couldn’t imagine raising a child in such a mess,” King wrote. Although two years had passed since Roe v. Wade, King “was able to determine my future” because she was able to afford the abortion fee, and because it was legal in her state, California. However, she had to get approval from a hospital committee – which meant she had to argue her case in front of dozens of people – and her husband had to sign it. But she knew she was lucky that she didn’t have to travel elsewhere for an illegal abortion, or carry her pregnancy against her will. It’s an option you want everyone to have. She writes, “My work in my life has been about equality for all.” “If we lose control of our bodies and our future, many of the gains that women have made will be undone.” Her article is here. (Read more Billie Jean King stories.)
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