#YouKnowMe

About

#YouKnowMe is a hashtag started by actress Busy Philipps on Twitter following Alabama's 2019 abortion ban. The hashtag has been used by women as a vehicle to share their experience with abortion.

Origin

On May 14th, 2019, @BusyPhilipps^[1] tweeted, "1 in 4 women have had an abortion.^[6] Many people think they don't know someone who has, but #youknowme. So let's do this: if you are also the 1 in 4, let's share it and start to end the shame. Use #youknowme and share your truth" (shown below). The tweet has gained over 10,800 retweets and 54,000 likes in three days.

Spread

On May 15th, 2019 the New York Times^[7] published an interview with Busy Philipps. In the interview, shared how she has been responding to backlash:

"I had some of the trolls hit me up, and a lot of people were like, 'How could you be proud of this thing you have done?' I never said I was proud of it. It’s a thing I experienced as a woman that many women in this country and around the world have experienced. I refuse to live in shame, and I refuse to hold on to something that I have no shame about."

On May 15th, many women, celebrities or not shared their stories. Cynthia Nixon^[2] tweeted, "Almost 60 years ago, my mother had an illegal abortion. It was too harrowing for her to discuss, but she made sure I knew it had happened. In 2010, my wife had a legal abortion after we found out her pregnancy was not viable. We cannot and will not go back. #YouKnowMe #YouKnowUs" (shown below, left). The tweet gained over 17,200 likes and 1,700 retweets in three days. That same day, Twitter user @JessicaValenti^[3] tweeted, "I am here and able to mother my incredible daughter because of the health- and life-saving abortion I had when she was three years old. #YouKnowMe" (shown below, right). The tweet accumulated over 5,000 likes in two days.

That same day, some Twitter users used the hashtag to address the bigger picture. Twitter user @jessphoenix2018^[4] said, "If you think you don't know anyone who has had an abortion, that's because no one you know has felt safe enough with you to share their truth with you" which gained over 6,900 likes in two days (shown below, left). The next day @NotDorothy^[5] tweeted, "Let me point out that Alabama and Missouri have passed these bills stating it is to preserve ALL life. Yet, both states still have and use the death penalty. Alabama has an execution scheduled for today. It's not about life. It's about control and religion. #YouKnowMe" (shown below, right). The tweet garnered over 3,500 likes in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References