Sally Field Talks About ‘Traumatic’ Abortion She Had Before Starring on ‘Gidget’

Oscar winner Sally Field released an Instagram video on Monday where she recounted the “horrific story” of a “traumatic” illegal abortion she had in 1964 at the age of 17.

The star — who came to prominence as the star of sitcom Gidget in the ’60s, before going on to an acclaimed and wide-ranging film career that spanned performances in films including Norma Rae, Steel Magnolias, Mrs. Doubtfire and Lincoln — recalled her life pre-fame. She was a recent high school grad, with no money or family guidance about her future, who had never been out of the state or on an airplane. “I didn’t know what I was going to be,” she remembered, “and then I found out I was pregnant.”