Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Lily Allen ‘can’t remember’ how many abortions she’s had

820 replies

blossoming56 · 03/07/2025 08:05

Article in the Fail today about this.
I am pro choice but it did make me a bit uncomfortable. After a while a string of abortions - too many to remember - would surely leave its mark physically and emotionally not mention the cost on the NHS.
Everyone should have a choice but is there not an element of personal responsibility to just take precautions after the first few times?!

OP posts:
Thedevilhasfinallycaughtupwithhim · 03/07/2025 13:05

TwigletsAndRadishes · 03/07/2025 13:02

Amazing how many people are pro choice- unless someone makes a choice that they wouldn’t make themselves. Posters on all abortion threads always say ‘I’m pro choice, but….’.

I'm pro- the choice to eat meat. It doesn't mean I don't think animals farmed for food should be compassionately raised and compassionately slaughtered. I'm pro-the choice for women to dress as they choose. It doesn't mean I think it's appropriate to wear nothing but a thong, some nipple tassles and some cowboy boots to your job as an oncologist every day.

Having the freedom and the privilege to make choices shouldn't mean we condone completely shitty choices.

I agree.
I can’t think of a single other topic where we only get to pick between the two extremes with no nuance.

ChatPDQ · 03/07/2025 13:05

LadyKenya · 03/07/2025 08:47

The fact of the matter is that it is not, however many partners she has had, who have to physically go through the act of an abortion is it? Something was obviously not working for her, it would seem.

Show quote history

What’s your point on my post? I made zero comment on the impact to her personally or any judgement on this either way.

What I did was reply to OP who was making this about NHS resources and a female only issue. Sounding a lot like none of her partners have taken contraception responsibility so let’s not forget in most cases it takes two.

Katemax82 · 03/07/2025 13:07

Itchytoe · 03/07/2025 08:15

And so you thought

Let’s have a good natter about it on AIBU

Show quote history

Isn't that what forums are for?

SunnySideDeepDown · 03/07/2025 13:09

4-5 abortions?! She needs to take responsibility and use birth control properly. Either she’s extremely irresponsible or has addictions that render her irresponsible.

Im nearly at the end of my reproductive life, pretty fertile, and have had zero unplanned pregnancies. It’s pretty easy to use condoms.

emilysquest · 03/07/2025 13:10

@MyUmberSeal OK I take your point, that you were commenting on the topic of people's opinions on discussion of this topic, not on LA's abortions themselves. I apologise.

Digdongdoo · 03/07/2025 13:11

SunnySideDeepDown · 03/07/2025 13:09

4-5 abortions?! She needs to take responsibility and use birth control properly. Either she’s extremely irresponsible or has addictions that render her irresponsible.

Im nearly at the end of my reproductive life, pretty fertile, and have had zero unplanned pregnancies. It’s pretty easy to use condoms.

She has taken responsibly and spoke about how she is on her 3rd IUD now. At least listen to what she actually says before forming an opinion...

Nopicturesallowed · 03/07/2025 13:12

NarnianQueen · 03/07/2025 08:24

People in this thread are acting like it’s a terrible sin to even talk about this! We talk about everything else 🤯
i think it’s shocking that she and her partners are so rubbish at contraception that they’ve needed to resort to abortions four or five times! If she was in a different socio-economic group she’d probably be listed as needing support in her everyday life 🫠

Lots of women have several abortions and socio economic group has very little to do with it.

OfficerChurlish · 03/07/2025 13:13

Regardless of whether or not she can actually remember, it's certainly not information that's owed to the media or the public. Nothing wrong with her answer.

RichardOsmanTheSecond · 03/07/2025 13:13

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

So how many numbers can a woman have before you consider her to be a whore?
Would a man have the same number, less or more to be considered a whore?

Does it make a difference if they were relationships or one night stands? What about FWB where do they fit in?

Does it have to be over a certain period or is it an overall body count over your life time?

Does age matter? Is a woman / man in their 20s having lots of sex more or less of a whore than a woman / man in their 60s having the same amount?

What about discretion? Is it more "whore-like" for a woman/man to go out on the pull and brag about it? Or is the same even if they are discreet?

What if the woman/man are hopeless romantics and think that each time "this is the one" but actually they are a bit rubbish and as soon as the other person has had sex with them they ghost them?

Is being a whore just about body count? Or is it an attitude too? Is it the same attitude for women and men? What about how someone dresses? Can a woman or man be a Virginia but still be a whore because of the image they portray?

What exactly is it that makes you think Lily Allen is a whore? And more to the point, if Luke Allen was a famous singer and talked about how many women he got pregnant, would he be a whore? Or would all the blame be layed on the women who had the abortions?

BatsInSpring · 03/07/2025 13:14

ChatPDQ · 03/07/2025 08:18

If you read the article she referred to (at least 1) boyfriend paying, so your cost to the NHS comment is misguided.

It’s interesting this is focused on her, and not all her partners who it seems (at least some) were aware. There is no judgement on them.

100%
Misogyny at the heart of this thread
OP - Stop reading deliberately inflammatory 'news' for bigots
It's likely they picked this up from her podcast and lost ALL context around why she chose to share this information
What judgement are you hoping to make on her? That she's irresponsible? How very simplistic.
Have a Google of some modern feminist literature and have a read of that instead of the DM

TwigletsAndRadishes · 03/07/2025 13:15

OfficerChurlish · 03/07/2025 13:13

Regardless of whether or not she can actually remember, it's certainly not information that's owed to the media or the public. Nothing wrong with her answer.

Can I just remind everyone again that the only reason this information is in the media and being brought to the attention of the public is because LA herself has chosen to put it there. No-one is invading her privacy.

Dweetfidilove · 03/07/2025 13:15

Upsetbetty · 03/07/2025 08:22

THIS! It’s her choice! She can do what she likes and she doesn’t have to explain or justify to anybody that’s the point!!!! She can do what she likes and see what she likes about her choices. It’s not up for discussion. What makes you think it is @blossoming56

Show quote history

It was her choice. She did what she liked, then she made it public.

People discuss all sorts they've heard on podcasts. Abortions are not exempt from further discussion, especially when it's currently a very topical issue.

We can't discuss the OP's abortion (don't know she's actually had one) , as it's not in the papers.

JustSawJohnny · 03/07/2025 13:15

There is already a thread about this and I think we've seen quite enough abortion shaming on this site in the last 24 hours.

Agree that people should listen to the Podcast for some context, rather than getting their knickers in a bunch thanks to the twisted sentiments of the shitrags.

SunnySideDeepDown · 03/07/2025 13:21

Digdongdoo · 03/07/2025 13:11

She has taken responsibly and spoke about how she is on her 3rd IUD now. At least listen to what she actually says before forming an opinion...

Show quote history

Ok - she’s taken responsibility NOW but clearly not then. The “friend” she was podcasting with made some pretty thick comments too. Both sounds like idiots.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with ending an unwanted pregnancy - but having more than you can remember is just stupid. She must have been off her head to not even remember.

PopeJoan2 · 03/07/2025 13:21

I know quite a few women who have had more than 4 or 5 abortions. We conventionally call them miscarriages when they occur naturally but they are abortions nonetheless. Of course none of those women would be judged for those abortions.

I suppose that we are judgmental of Lily because she has exercised choice. Women must not choose what happens to their own bodies. The limits of women’s ability to choose are proscribed.

PopeJoan2 · 03/07/2025 13:22

SunnySideDeepDown · 03/07/2025 13:21

Ok - she’s taken responsibility NOW but clearly not then. The “friend” she was podcasting with made some pretty thick comments too. Both sounds like idiots.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with ending an unwanted pregnancy - but having more than you can remember is just stupid. She must have been off her head to not even remember.

Show quote history

Or very young.

50andfailing · 03/07/2025 13:22

Lily Allen. Unpleasant in every way.

Digdongdoo · 03/07/2025 13:27

SunnySideDeepDown · 03/07/2025 13:21

Ok - she’s taken responsibility NOW but clearly not then. The “friend” she was podcasting with made some pretty thick comments too. Both sounds like idiots.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with ending an unwanted pregnancy - but having more than you can remember is just stupid. She must have been off her head to not even remember.

Show quote history

Would have been even more stupid to have 5 babies in that state then surely?

DoYouReally · 03/07/2025 13:28

While I don't like the idea of multiple abortions in lieu of using contraceptives, surely it's better to still have abortions so that women who need them have access to them.

TwinsTrollsAndHunz · 03/07/2025 13:29

'She's taken responsibility now'

What does that mean? Taken responsibility for what? Unplanned pregnancy? She took responsibility at the time by realising that she was not in a position to be a mother and discontinuing the pregnancy. Not taking responsibility looks more like continuing a unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, having a baby knowing that it isn't what you want, you can't cope and you haven't got the emotional or material means to support the child, and that child (and any other existing children) having to live with the consequences of that.

SunnySideDeepDown · 03/07/2025 13:29

@RichardOsmanTheSecond i actually DO think people would think a male counterpart was a prick for getting someone pregnant accidentally 4-5 times. He also would be told to wear a condom and stop being irresponsible.

rosecoloured · 03/07/2025 13:30

Itchytoe · 03/07/2025 08:15

And so you thought

Let’s have a good natter about it on AIBU

Show quote history

It’s a chat forum ffs?

KateMiskin · 03/07/2025 13:30

I am happy for the OP and others to discuss this, but I am reporting all the posts calling Lily Allen a whore.

Dodeedoo · 03/07/2025 13:30

PopeJoan2 · 03/07/2025 13:21

I know quite a few women who have had more than 4 or 5 abortions. We conventionally call them miscarriages when they occur naturally but they are abortions nonetheless. Of course none of those women would be judged for those abortions.

I suppose that we are judgmental of Lily because she has exercised choice. Women must not choose what happens to their own bodies. The limits of women’s ability to choose are proscribed.

Abortions and miscarriages are not the same

Swipe left for the next trending thread