Katie Maloney talks to Page Six about her past abortion and calls the reversal of Roe v. Wade "inhumane."musickillskate/Instagram; Getty
Like many Americans, Katie Maloney was filled with “a lot of anger and frustration” when she awoke on June 24 to news that the Supreme Court had overturned its landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
“The writing’s been on the walls. So while it’s shocking and appalling, it’s also like, well, we saw this coming,” she exclusively told Page Six over the phone on Wednesday.
“We knew that this was happening because they’ve been laying the groundwork for this. But still, to hear it was like a sucker punch.”
It was a special kind of sucker punch for the “Vanderpump Rules” star, who revealed in an October 2021 episode that she had an abortion early into her relationship with her now-estranged husband, Tom Schwartz.
While disclosing she had an abortion was something she thought she “would never talk about or share with anyone again, let alone publicly,” Maloney, 35, knew it was part of her fertility journey, which she wanted to document honestly for the show.
The “Vanderpump Rules” star previously revealed she had an abortion early into her relationship with estranged husband Tom Schwartz.Getty Images
Maloney described her decision to undergo the procedure as “very difficult” and “very critical” – and that was all without governmental input.
“Now it’s trying to wrap your head around the fact that there’s laws around a health care choice like that. For some people, it’s not even a choice; it’s a life-or-death decision,” she explained.
“I think so many people miss the point that it’s not just about birth control, and that’s not even the case, because birth control can fail. And a lot of times, they are wanted pregnancies, but they become non-viable or can become life-threatening.”
She added, “I just can’t believe that so many people would have opinions about something that is just so sensitive.”
Maloney made the “difficult” decision without many people knowing.musickillskate/Instagram
When Page Six asked Maloney whether she thinks some people’s unwavering pro-birth stance stems from a lack of education, she replied, “I think it’s a lack of compassion more than a lack of education.”
“No matter how much you try to explain to people who are against [abortion], I just think that they have their system of beliefs. And that’s totally fine! But to try to impose that on someone else’s decisions and life choices is inhumane in a lot of ways, and it feels just not fair,” she said.
“If that’s a choice that you would never make for yourself, that is totally fine, because that is your choice.”
She feels “laws around a health care choice like that” are “not fair.”Getty Images for DIRECTV
When Maloney had her abortion over a decade ago, she “didn’t share it with a lot of people,” in part because the topic was rarely discussed and because she didn’t know “where people stood” on the subject.
“Knowing that you have a decision to make about what you want to do with your body, your future, your life, everything — you don’t necessarily want to have the decision be colored by [other people’s] opinions.”
She added of her own experience, “The ones that needed to know or that it affected were very supportive.”
The reality star said having “healthy discussions” with those who have opposing views is crucial for destigmatization.musickillskate/Instagram
However, Maloney explained that sometimes even one’s closest relatives or friends can have staunchly opposite views on abortion, which can make an already vulnerable situation feel that much more “alienating.”
“It’s so difficult when that happens because obviously when it’s people that you’re close to and love and have long-term or lifelong relationships with, it can really put a strain on those things,” Maloney shared, adding that she feels the best way to have a “healthy discussion” about abortion is to “provide as much information in a way that’s not argumentative or heated.”
“Ask them questions and why they feel that way and where they get their information from in a non-condescending way. And then you can share your own knowledge of the subject and where you get your information from,” she a
Maloney encouraged education, compassion and voting at the state level.musickillskate/Instagram
Source : pagesix.com
