Mark Ruffalo Supports Pro-Choice

To actor Mark Ruffalo it seems obvious. With a mother who underwent the shame and trauma of having to obtain an illegal abortion when she was a young woman, and with two daughters whom he hopes will never have to face such circumstances, Ruffalo says, “I invite you to find your voice and let it be known that you stand for abortion rights and the dignity of a woman to be the master of her own life and body.”

In a letter he wrote for an abortion rights rally, Ruffalo outlined his concerns about reverting back to the bad old days.

“What happened to my mother was a relic of an America that was not free nor equal nor very kind. My mother’s illegal abortion marked a time in America that we have worked long and hard to leave behind. It was a time when women were seen as second rate citizens who were not smart enough, nor responsible enough, nor capable enough to make decisions about their lives. It was a time that deserved to be left behind, and leave it behind we did, or so it seemed. "

Pro-Choice is not only about abortion, although that is what the conversation usually revolves around. Pro-Choice is about reproductive rights. It’s about a woman choosing when the right time is to have her children and how many to have so that they can be raised under the healthiest of circumstances. Ruffalo sees family planning as a good thing.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of here,” says Ruffalo, “except to allow a radical and recessive group of people to bully and intimidate our mothers and sisters and daughters for exercising their right of choice. Or use terrorism and fanaticism to block their legal rights or take the lives of their caregivers. Or design legislation that would chip away at those rights disguised as reinforcing a woman’s health.”

Ruffalo says he trusts the women he knows with their choices, with their bodies and with their children.

“My own mother fought to make herself more than a possession; she lived her life as a mother who chose when she would have children, and a wife who could earn a living if she so chose. I want my daughters to enjoy that same choice.”