John Legend has always been one to advocate for people whose voices need amplification. Now, he’s speaking up for women’s reproductive rights.
At the Time100 Summit Tuesday, the singer-songwriter opened up about his wife’s pregnancy journey. The two experienced a pregnancy loss in 2020 and were able to conceive once more to bring their new baby Esti, into the world. This conversation led to his thoughts on reproductive rights and his pro-choice stance.
“We have to speak up for reproductive rights, absolutely,” Legend said. “I think all of America, now that the Dobbs decision has come down, is realizing the level of control and authoritarianism that would be required to implement the so-called ‘pro-life’ agenda. It’s not a pro-life agenda, it’s a pro-control over women’s reproductive choices agenda.”
Back in 2020, when the couple lost their baby boy, Jack, they had to make the tough decision to undergo an abortion at 20 weeks once doctors informed them that the baby wouldn’t survive. Teigen opened up to her followers on Instagram about the process of grieving and moving forward. She underwent a difficult IVF journey in order to get pregnant once more.
“These conversations are life or death for these women and their families,” he continued. “When they have to make these wrenching decisions, it is the hardest decision they’ll make. It is traumatic, it is painful, it is harrowing.”