Actress and New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon made a powerful speech about her mother's illegal abortion. As she spoke at a rally on Tuesday, she held up a coat hanger in harrowing reference to the story and it's an image that'll likely stay with the many people who were there to listen to her speak.
The rally took place the day after Trump announced Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee for Supreme Court. Given Kavanaugh's past voting record, the move poses a threat to the landmark 1973 decision to legalise abortion in the United States, and so Americans gathered to protest Trumps choice and stand up for the importance of reproductive rights.
Against the backdrop of Pro Choice signs and 'Unite 4 Women's Rights' placards, Nixon told the crowds that her mother had an illegal abortion pre-1973 and that 'We must never, ever, ever, go back to a time when any woman feels she has to make this kind of a choice,' reports the New York Times. 'And this is why we must fight.'
It's not the first time that Nixon has spoken about her mother's experience but sadly, its a story that's important to be re-told at a time when the right to abortion is potentially in jeopardy.
Back in 2016 she wrote a piece for Time magazine titled 'Abortion Rights Are Human Rights'. In it she explained: 'Over 50 years ago, my mother had an abortion. She was a working woman in New York City with an office job for Goodson and Todman, the TV game show producers who created everything from_What’s My Line?to_Family Feud. She never was willing to tell me any details about her abortion, except to let me know that she had one and it was awful and scary.'
She later shared an image of herself at the rally on Twitter to re-reference her speech and the sad significance of the coat hanger. 'A wire hanger is something that women in this country were driven to use out of fear and desperation, performing abortions on themselves, often with devastating effects', she wrote.
Nixon reiterated: 'We must never go back to a time when any women feels that she has to make this kind of choice'.
MORE: Take A Look At The Other Celebrities Who Moved Into Politics
Debrief Celebrities turned politicians
1 of 9Arnold Schwarzenegger
Best loved for his Terminator films and even his bodybuilding days, Arnie dropped it all to become the Governor of California from 2003-2011.
2 of 9Clint Eastwood
Who knew the bad boy of Hllywood was Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea in California from 1986-1988. He was even appointed to the California State Park and Recreation Commission in 2001.
3 of 9Al Murray
Al Murray and his alter-ego The pub landlord are both well known in the world of comedy.But did you know he was from the lovely village of Stewkley?
4 of 9Kal Penn
Best known for his starring role in the *Harold and Kumar *films, he also guest starred in comedies like _How I Met Your Mother. and New Girl._He was an advocate for the Obama campaign and in 2009 accepted a position as Associate Director of White House Public Engagement, for the Obama administration.
5 of 9Jerry Springer
Jerry, Jerry!Before his roaring success on America's most controversial TV show, he served as Mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978 as a Democrat.
6 of 9Cynthia Nixon
We all know her as the high flying Miranda Hobbes from *Sex and the City *but in March 2018 she announced she would run for Governor of New York City
7 of 9Lord Michael Cashman CBE
Lord Michael Cashman played Colin Russell in Eastenders in the late 80's. He was responsible for the first gay kiss on British TV during this time. Since then, he founded the LGBT rights charity Stonewall, became a member of the European Parliament as a Labour spokesperson for human rights. He was appointed to the House of Lords in 2014.
8 of 9Tracy Brabin
Soap star Tracy has appeared in all your faves, including Coronation Street, *Eastenders *and Casualty. In October 2016, she was elected as MP for Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire, following a by-election after the murder of Jo Cox. She's a member of the Labour Party.
9 of 9Sonny Bono
One half of Sonny and Cher was the Mayor of Palm Springs between 1988-1992. He was also congressman for California until his death in 1998.
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