Kerry Washington breaks silence on abortion: Here’s why

Kerry Washington has recently broken her silence on abortion in her new memoir, Thicker Than Water.

In a new interview with PEOPLE magazine, the Emmy-nominated star revealed she had an abortion when she was in her 20s which she also mentioned in her memoir.

“I struggled a lot in the beginning with whether or not to include my abortion story,” said the 46-year-old.

Washington told the outlet, “At first I wasn't really sure how it fit into this story of my life. But I started to feel like it was really important for me to share this.”

Washington penned in her book that she had a romantic encounter that led to an unplanned pregnancy.

The Save the Last Dance actress pointed out that she gave a false name to her doctors to protect her privacy as her career was taking off in the new book.

Washington confessed she felt embarrassed as well as a degree of hypocrisy, having spent years as a sexual health educator in her teens.

“This story had so much to do with my understanding of myself and the world as my career unfolded,” said the She Hates Me actress.

The question is why Washington decided to share her experience now in her upcoming memoir.

“It's just so important to me that abortion is not a bad word, and that my abortion is not another thing on the list of things that I'm ashamed of,” remarked the mother-of-three.

Washington added, “We're at a moment where it's really important to be telling the truth about our reproductive choices because some of those choices are being stripped away from us.”

Washington's memoir, Thicker Than Water, will come out on September 26.