Simone Biles gives her unapologetic views on abortion: ‘I’m very much pro-choice. Your body. Your choice.’
Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles is speaking her mind.
The iconic gymnast took to her Instagram stories on Monday to ask her nearly 7 million followers to share their “unpopular opinions” — and what she revealed certainly stirred up some emotions.
The posts were trivial at first, with one person writing, “Ketchup is nasty,” to which Biles replied, “NO it’s not.”
Another user wrote “Beyoncé is overrated,” to which Biles quipped, “What’s your addy… you deserve jail time for this one.”
Then things shifted when someone wrote, “Abortion is wrong.”
That’s when Biles shared her own opinions on the issue, explaining she is pro-choice and elaborating on her experience in the foster care system.
“I already know this is going to start the biggest argument & may even lost followers BUT,” the medalist started. “I’m very much pro-choice. Your body. Your choice.”
“Also for everyone gonna say ‘just put it up for adoption,’ it’s not that easy and coming from someone who was in the foster care system TRUST me, foster care system is broken and it’s TOUGH, especially on the kids & young adults who age out.”
“Adoption is expensive… I’m just saying,” she added. “And don’t even come at me if you couldn’t keep a mask on or refused to wear one.”
Indeed, beginning at the age of 3, Biles spent time in the Ohio foster care system, as reported by Yahoo Sports. At the time, child services determined that her mother was unfit to care for her and her three siblings.
Ultimately, Biles and her sister Aria moved in with and were later adopted by their grandfather and step-grandmother, Ron and Nellie, who lived just outside of Houston, Texas, while her other two siblings lived with an aunt in Cleveland.
“My road to success began the day my grandfather and his wife officially adopted my sister and me,” Simone wrote in a 2018 op-ed for CNN. “Although I was young when my foster care ordeal began, I remember how it felt to be passed off and over-looked. Like nobody knew me or wanted to know me. Like my talents didn’t count, and my voice didn’t matter. Finding a family made me feel like I mattered.”
Biles, who made headlines for taking a temporary break in competing at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health, also touched on the importance of prioritizing yourself.
“Mental health is just as important as physical health,” one user wrote, to which she replied: “ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND PERCENT.”
When another user wrote, “Saying no is hard,” Biles elaborated again by explaining the importance of speaking up for yourself.
“It truly is but once you start using it more it gets easier,” she replied. “PROTECT YOUR PEACE. Start by saying no with the little things then work your way up to the big things. Easier done that way so you done AS guilty.”
The IG sparked a heated discussion that continued on Twitter, with Biles responding to some critics who, she said, appeared to "misconstrue" her words.
DO NOT misconstrue my words. That is not at all what I implied. I did NOT say I support to abort rather than to put them through the foster care system. What I did imply is that you should not control someone elses body/decision. Let’s be real what you care about is control… https://t.co/IWVz0ydpXi
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) August 10, 2021
While plenty expressed anger toward the Olympian's opinions, many in the thread stood up for Biles, with tweets of support such as, "Don’t come for @Simone_Biles. If you haven’t figured out she is a strong, no bs woman who will stand up for herself and others," and, "You are an incredibly strong, powerful, courageous, [brave], beautiful, boss woman! You have started a conversation that was needed LONG ago!"
