Uma Thurman reveals teenage abortion as she fights 'horror' of Texas near-ban

Hollywood actor Uma Thurman has revealed that she had an abortion as a teenager as she spoke out against the "horror" of Texas' near-ban.

The 51-year-old shared what she called "her darkest secret", that she had been "accidentally impregnated by an older man" when she was just starting her career.

Writing in The Washington Post against the ruling, she said that she had wanted to keep the baby, but ultimately decided to have an abortion.

She added: "We decided as a family that I couldn’t go through with the pregnancy, and agreed that termination was the right choice. My heart was broken nonetheless."

The new Texas law came into force earlier this month and prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, which is usually around six weeks and before some women even know they are pregnant. The law allows no exceptions for rape or incest.

It's sparked widespread protest across the United States and been slammed by President Joe Biden whose administration has asked a federal judge to declare the law as invalid to "protect the rights that Texas has violated."

Ms Thurman said that she has followed the implementation of the law “with great sadness and something akin to horror”, describing it as a "human rights crisis".

She felt compelled to share her own experiences “in the hope of drawing the flames of controversy away from the vulnerable women on whom this law will have an immediate effect".

The Pulp Fiction star, who now has three children, said the abortion she had was "the hardest decision of my life, but it was the path to the life full of joy and love that I have experienced".

Earlier this month a doctor who performed an abortion in defiance of the state's ban on the procedures has been sued in what could be a test of the legality of the new law.  

Dr Alan Braid claimed to have carried out a procedure beyond the six week limit because he believes "abortion is an essential part of healthcare".

Prosecutors cannot take criminal action against Braid, because the law explicitly forbids that.The only way the ban can be enforced is through lawsuits brought by private citizens, who don’t have to be from Texas and who are entitled to claim at least $10,000 in damages if successful.