John Legend speaks up for abortion access, recounts Chrissy’s trauma

Los Angeles, Aug. 7 (IANS): Musician John Legend, who bagged the award for Best R&B Album for ‘Bigger Love’ at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, is voicing his support for abortion access and reproductive rights, reports CNN.

The legend described his own experience with wife, model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen’s 2020 miscarriage.

In an interview with David Axelrod for CNN’s “The Axe Files” podcast, the artiste said, “Anyone who’s dealt with pregnancy knows none of this is casual, none of this is frivolous. And it’s so intimate, and it’s so personal,” he said. “Why do we want our government involved in those decisions?”

Legend referenced strict abortion restrictions in certain states that have led to limits on the ability of patients to access standard miscarriage care.

One woman in Texas, for instance, was forced to carry fetal remains inside her for two and a half weeks after miscarrying last year because of strict anti-abortion laws.

Talking to CNN, Legend said: “Anyone who has a miscarriage, after all that trauma, all that pain, all those tears we went through, to then have the local DA or local law enforcement do an investigation and make sure the miscarriage was approved by the state … to have the government involved in that conversation in any way is so offensive to me.”

CNN further states that Teigen and Legend announced that they had lost their child after pregnancy complications in 2020. Teigen had been about halfway through with her pregnancy with the couple’s third child, whom they had started calling Jack.

Teigen was vocal about the difficulties of her miscarriage, and wrote an emotional essay about the traumatic loss.

The two are parents to Luna and Miles, both conceived through IVF, and announced recently that they are expecting another child. The star hopes he can use his platform to advocate change. “I’ve grown over time in understanding how to use my celebrity and how to use the power that I have and the reach that I have and the resources that I have to actually make change,” Legend said.