Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan opens up about being molested, raped

MANILA, Philippines — Miss Universe 2015 2nd runner-up and Miss USA Olivia Jordan opened up about being molested as a child and raped when she was a teenager.

In an Instagram post on Monday, May 20, the beauty queen from Oklahoma said that she does not agree with strict abortion laws in the country. 

In Alabama, Missouri, Georgia and other US states, abortion is illegal even in cases of rape or incest. (READ: Will the US Supreme Court reconsider abortion rights?)

“I was molested as a child and raped as a teenager. It is through that lense that I view the new policies that govern what happens to a woman’s body as a direct assault. Decisions were made for my body without my consent. My body and mind have been traumatized in ways I am still recovering from many years later. Maybe it sounds unjust to compare criminalizing abortion to being raped; but to me, it feels the same,” she said.

“I’ve learned that we all have experiences that shape us and alter our lense with which we see the world. I used to get angry when confronted with anti-abortion messaging. I used to want to yell and scream back how I felt. But then we would just have two people screaming. I see you. I hear why abortion is scary to you. I was educated in Catholic school, taught abstinence only ‘sex education’, I’ve watched a video of an abortion procedure, and I’ve done my research on both sides.

The model also said that won’t impose her beliefs on other people and that other should stop imposing theirs on others. She added that she’s for abortion, condoms, and birth control.

“Maybe you haven’t had the life experience I have had where your body has been controlled too many times without your consent but I have, and I will fight hard to stop any person from enduring the same fate. Can we recognize that within the pro-choice model we are both allowed to be right? You get to do what’s right for you, I get to do what’s right for me.”

“You can keep speaking out against abortion as I can see how important it is for you to share how you feel. But please don’t support policies that strip people of their rights and their free choice. Because when men make laws that govern women’s body without their consent, I feel like I am being assaulted all over again. I feel like we are letting the perpetrators win.”

She ended her post by saying: “Peace, love and prayers for a better future where we can realize that we can live in harmony even when we don’t agree.”

View this post on Instagram

I was molested as a child and raped as a teenager. It is through that lense that I view the new policies that govern what happens to a woman’s body as a direct assault. Decisions were made for my body without my consent. My body and mind have been traumatized in ways I am still recovering from many years later. Maybe it sounds unjust to compare criminalizing abortion to being raped; but to me, it feels the same.  I’ve learned that we all have experiences that shape us and alter our lense with which we see the world. I used to get angry when confronted with anti-abortion messaging. I used to want to yell and scream back how I felt. But then we would just have two people screaming. I see you. I hear why abortion is scary to you. I was educated in Catholic school, taught abstinence only “sex education”, I’ve watched a video of an abortion procedure, and I’ve done my research on both sides. I won’t impose my beliefs on you, no one will ever force you to have an abortion. And I ask, if you could pause for one second and realize how insane it is to impose your views on me, to force me or any woman to endure a pregnancy she is not ready for, maybe even one she didn’t consent to in the first place. I am pro-abortion, pro condoms and pro access to birth control. I would NEVER force you to have the same beliefs. Maybe you haven’t had the life experience I have had where your body has been controlled too many times without your consent but I have, and I will fight hard to stop any person from enduring the same fate. Can we recognize that within the pro-choice model we are both allowed to be ri ght? You get to do what’s right for you, I get to do what’s right for me. You can keep speaking out against abortion as I can see how important it is for you to share how you feel. But please don’t support policies that strip people of their rights and their free choice. Because when men make laws that govern women’s body without their consent, I feel like I am being assaulted all over again. I feel like we are letting the perpetrators win.  Peace, love and prayers for a better future where we can realize that we can live in harmony even when we don’t agree.

A post shared by Olivia Jordan (@theoliviajordan) on May 19, 2019 at 6:32pm PDT

— Rappler.com