Meghan Markle says she, Prince Harry, had a ‘guttural’ reaction to the abortion verdict: ‘Men need to be vocal’

Meghan Markle is open about how she and her husband Prince Harry responded to the Roe v. Wade have reacted.

The Duchess of Sussex spoke to award-winning journalist Jessica Yelling about the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on a Vogue feature published on Tuesday. Speaking about Harry’s thoughts on the verdict, the 40-year-old said: “His reaction last week was guttural, like mine.”

“Men need to be vocal in this moment and beyond because those decisions affect relationships, families and communities in general,” the former American actress explained. “They may target women, but the consequences affect us all. My husband and I have talked a lot about this over the past few days. He’s also a feminist.”

The mother-of-two emphasized that it is more important than ever to “close together”.

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“I know a lot of women are feeling a sense of desperation right now,” Markle said. “But again, we must unite and not wallow. We have to do the work. This moment requires unity – to really listen to the people, to understand that the Constitution was written at a time when women were second-class citizens. We are not . Certain things need to change.”

“I think it’s equally about honoring the people who did the work long before us, such as [feminist icon] glory [Steinem]’ she continued. “I am grateful to hold a baton right next to her and that we will continue to do this work together.”

The former Suits star also reflected on her miscarriage. In 2020, she wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times detailing her experience in hopes of helping others. She and Harry, 37, are parents to a son named Archie, 3, and a daughter named Lilibet, 1.

“I think about how lucky I felt to have both of my kids,” Markle said. “I know what it feels like to have a connection to what’s growing in our bodies. What happens to our bodies is so deeply personal, which can also lead to silence and stigma, even though so many of us deal with personal health crises… I know what a miscarriage feels like, which I’ve spoken about publicly. The more we normalize the conversation about the things that affect our lives and bodies, the more people will understand the need to take protective measures. “

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“This is about the physical safety of women,” she shared. “It’s also about economic justice, individual autonomy and who we are as a society. No one should be forced to make a decision they don’t want to make, one that is uncertain, or one that jeopardizes their own life. Honestly, whether it is a woman who finds herself in an unthinkable situation, a woman who is not yet ready to start a family, or even a couple who deserve to plan their family the way it is for them most meaningfully, it’s about having a choice.”

Markle also noted how grateful she is to have such candid conversations with a variety of women, including Steinem, 88, who opened up about her experience with having an abortion.

“It’s interesting that you’re talking to two women here: one who chose to give birth happy and one who chose not to give birth happy,” Markle noted. “And we’re both fine because we’ve been able to make our own choices. Unbelievable.”

Steinem said the ERA had been ratified by “the required number of states” and called for pressure on the White House and Congress to pass it. Markle replied: “Well Gloria, maybe it looks like you and I are going to take a trip to [Washington] DC together soon.”

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Markle also described how the verdict is endangering the lives of many women across the country.

“This is starting to have a very real impact on women’s bodies and lives,” she said. “Women are already sharing stories of how their physical safety is being compromised. Women with resources will travel to get an abortion, those without may attempt to give themselves one at enormous risk.

“Some will have to source abortion pills from unregulated pharmacies. Others who are pregnant and in a medical emergency will be at the mercy of doctors and lawyers to determine if a procedure necessary to save their lives can be performed at all. What does that say to women? It tells us that our physical safety doesn’t matter and that consequently we don’t matter. But we do. Women are important.”

“These issues are systemic, interconnected, and preventable,” Markle shared. “Women of color, and black women in particular, are most affected by these decisions because most of us do not have equal access to mental health care, economic opportunity and resources… the list goes on.”

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Roe v. Wade was the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that gave women the right to an abortion in every state. The Supreme Court’s 6-to-3 ruling on June 24 removed the constitutional right to abortion and gave individual states the power to choose whether to allow the procedure. The court’s overturning of the ruling is expected to result in abortion bans in about half the states.

Pregnant women considering abortions have already faced a near-total ban in Oklahoma and a ban after about six weeks in Texas. Clinics in at least eight other states — Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin and West Virginia — stopped performing abortions following the Supreme Court decision.

In Ohio, a ban on most abortions at the first detectable fetal heartbeat became law when a federal judge overturned an injunction that put the measure on hold for nearly three years. Utah law was also triggered by the ruling and went into effect with narrow exceptions.

Markle became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince at Windsor Castle in May 2018. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s stepping down from royal duties began in 2020 over what they described as the UK media’s intrusion and racist attitude towards Markle. The family now lives in the coastal town of Montecito, California.

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After stepping off royal duties, the couple gave Oprah Winfrey a explosive TV interview in March 2021, in which she described painful comments about how dark Archie’s skin might have been before he was born. The Duchess spoke about the intense isolation she felt within the royal family, which led her to contemplate suicide.

Buckingham Palace said the couple’s racism allegations were “concerning” and would be addressed privately.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.