Meghan Markle Reveals She Had a Miscarriage in a Moving Essay
The Duchess of Sussex has revealed that she suffered a miscarriage in July in a moving new essay for the New York Times Opinion section. "After changing [Archie's] diaper, I felt a sharp cramp," she writes. "I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second."
In the piece, Meghan shares intimate details of her story, and of her time in the hospital, in hopes that it might reduce the "taboo" of speaking about miscarriage.
"Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few. In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage. Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning," she writes.
"Some have bravely shared their stories; they have opened the door, knowing that when one person speaks truth, it gives license for all of us to do the same."
In addition to opening up about her own grief in the piece, Meghan reflects on the isolation felt during the pandemic, the ever-increasing COVID-19 death toll, and the movement to end police brutality in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. She also writes about the increased political polarization felt in the United States right now, following the 2020 election.
"On top of all of this, it seems we no longer agree on what is true. We aren’t just fighting over our opinions of facts; we are polarized over whether the fact is, in fact, a fact. We are at odds over whether science is real. We are at odds over whether an election has been won or lost. We are at odds over the value of compromise," she writes.
"That polarization, coupled with the social isolation required to fight this pandemic, has left us feeling more alone than ever."
But she ends her essay with a call to action this holiday, referencing an interview with British broadcaster Tom Bradby during the 2019 royal tour of South Africa in which she held back tears when he asked, "Are you OK?"
"So this Thanksgiving, as we plan for a holiday unlike any before — many of us separated from our loved ones, alone, sick, scared, divided and perhaps struggling to find something, anything, to be grateful for — let us commit to asking others, 'Are you OK?' As much as we may disagree, as physically distanced as we may be, the truth is that we are more connected than ever because of all we have individually and collectively endured this year."
Read the Duchess's full essay in the New York Times.
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