Rita Moreno: I could have died after Marlon Brando paid for my illegal abortion

The 91-year-old actress fell pregnant to the late Hollywood legend back in the 1950s – which was years before the U.S. Supreme Court legalised abortion in 1973 following the Roe v Wade case – and Rita revealed that she “could have died” after an illegal termination went wrong.

She said: “Marlon found a doctor through some friends. He was a real doctor — Marlon paid him $500 — as opposed to something in a back alley. Marlon took me to the hospital. I had what they told me was a ‘disturbed pregnancy. The doctor didn’t do anything really, except make me bleed. In other words, he didn’t do it right. I didn’t know it then, but I could have died. What a mess. What a dreadful mess.”

The landmark Roe v Wade ruling was overturned on Friday (24.06.22) after the Supreme Court decided that “the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion” and the ‘West Side Story’ actress admitted she was “stunned” even though she “saw it coming.”

She told Variety: “I’m not shocked because I saw it coming but I’m stunned. I think about the young girls. Taking it to the most extreme, girls who get pregnant because of rape or incest. Unfair isn’t a strong enough word, but it’s unfair. I’m sorry I’m not the most articulate today but I’m just shocked. I’m sorry I’m not the most articulate today but I’m just shocked. We loud mouths are going to have to get busy. There are many of us. I’m thinking what are we going to do about this? If anything, this has reactivated us!”