Meghan Markle wants to end the social stigma surrounding miscarriages.
In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, the Duchess of Sussex reflected on the "deeply personal" experience of losing a child--and the importance of speaking out about it--in a candid conversation about the future of women's reproductive rights published by Vogue on June 28.
"I know what miscarrying feels like, which I've talked about publicly," Markle told journalist Gloria Steinem. "The more that we normalize conversation about the things that affect our lives and bodies, the more people are going to understand how necessary it is to have protections in place."
The Archewell founder said that she felt fortunate to welcome both of her children: son Archie Harrison, 3, and daughter Lilibet "Lili" Diana, 12 months.
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"I know what it feels like to have a connection to what is growing inside of your body," she said. "What happens with 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."
Stars Open Up About Pregnancy Loss
Now, Markle explained that she is committed to standing up against the Supreme Court's recent ruling and encourages everyone to get involved, including her husband Prince Harry.
"Men need to be vocal in this moment and beyond because these are decisions that affect relationships, families, and communities at large," she said. "They may target women, but the consequences impact all of us. My husband and I talked about that a lot over the past few days. He's a feminist too."
She added, "This is about women's physical safety. It's also about economic justice, individual autonomy, and who we are as a society. Nobody should be forced to make a decision they do not want to make, or is unsafe, or puts their own life in jeopardy."
Markle first shared that she had suffered a miscarriage in a powerful November 2020 New York Times piece titled "The Losses We Share." In the article, Markle detailed her ordinary July morning with son Archie before she suddenly felt a sharp cramp.
"I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right," she wrote. "I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second."
Markle described the "unbearable grief" of losing a child as one that is "experienced by many but talked about by few."
"Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning," she shared. "In being invited to share our pain, together we take the first steps toward healing."
