Sherri Shepherd Chokes Up In Intense Abortion Debate On 'View' (VIDEO)

An emotional Sherri Shepherd choked up while sharing her experience with abortion in an extremely intense debate on Wednesday's "View."

The hosts were discussing a Texas law that requires women to have a sonogram before having an abortion. The law mandates doctors to show women sonogram images, play fetal heartbeats and describe features of fetuses. Joy Behar called it "totalitarian," but Elisabeth Hasselbeck compared it to knowing the facts about a procedure before getting a cyst removed or having kidney surgery.

"You would never go through any medical procedure like that...without looking at the scientific evidence," Hasselbeck said. "Why you would ask for an X-ray for those things but not in this case?"

Barbara Walters disagreed. She called the move to get an abortion "a tremendous decision" that can cause "fear and guilt." It would be "heartbreaking," she said, for women to be forced to get a sonogram in those circumstances.

Hasselbeck countered, "What about those who argue that it's not life, that it's not a baby yet?"

Goldberg took issue with her argument, pointing out that some women do not want kids, while others simply cannot afford to have children. She said that women who keep their babies do not get any financial help.

Goldberg's point resonated deeply with Shepherd. She heatedly said that the same people who oppose birth control and abortion often oppose food stamps, welfare and a safety net that would help women who cannot afford to have children. Walters attempted to interject, but a visibly emotional Shepherd cut her off.

"We stop at the picket signs and we don't help you past that!" she said, choking up. "I'm speaking as a girl who had a lot of abortions and I swear to God, if they had shown me a picture of the fetus... I would have put my child in a lot of situations that wouldn't have been good because I didn't have the mental capacity to deal with having a child."

Below, see the full discussion, as well as some other emotional moments on "The View."

• Joy, Whoopi Walk Off Set Over Bill O'Reilly

• Emotional Abortion Discussion

• Rosie And Elisabeth's Epic Smackdown

• Elisabeth Hasselbeck Confronts Bill Maher

• Michelle Malkin Spars With Joy, Whoopi

• Elisabeth Tears Up During Debate Over N-Word

• Elisabeth, Michael Moore Argue About Osama Bin Laden

• Co-hosts Debate Abortion

• Elisabeth Confronts Kathy Griffin

• Whoopi Spars With Donald Trump Over Obama

• Whoopi, Barbara Confront Glenn Beck

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Comments

[bkrazee]

04:37 AM on 03/27/2012

I admire Sherri Shepherd for being open about this. I can imagine how difficult that was, and I do not judge; each individual woman has the right to make the decisions about her health and body. And I agree with her 100% about the hypocrisy and ludicrousness of the people that want the government to prevent women from having abortions but then to also work against responsible family planning.

[Ophie511]

10:47 AM on 02/14/2012

"I'd hate to show it. It's such a hard thing."

It's hard because the truth hurts. If you have to look at it, you will see that little heart beating and toes wiggling. I am all for choice: adoption or raising the baby yourself. Yes, we have the choice with what happens to our own bodies. We should not have the choice about what happens to somebody else's body, even if it is inside of your own.

[Tracey Austin Nadeau]

12:33 AM on 02/14/2012

I hate the arrogance and ignorance of this stupid stupid woman. does she actually believe that there are only 2 choices?Does she think the public wants to hear, once again, how many abortions she's had? I almost threw up when she discussed that her DEAD babies forgave her and that they were waiting for her in heaven. That was a discussion on this show a couple of years ago. ADOPTION PEOPLE. I'm not against choice, but PLEASE don't act like abortion is one of only two choices!!!!!!!! Stupid women make me so angry.

[Monrocsol]

08:55 AM on 04/11/2012

Everything that comes out of S.S. is a fairy tale. I can see a chorus of tiny black babies in heaven singing as she crosses the golden gate. Insane. What poor role model.

[BCS63]

04:52 PM on 02/11/2012

A woman should be able to decide what happens to her own body. Does that mean a healthy female can decide to end her own life legally? Morally? Does that mean that a fetus , can have a scalpel or probe inserted into its skull to end its life, even if it would be totally viable (able to survive on its own) if mom’s cervix had allowed it to pass?
Isn’t it ok that some of us can believe that a woman’s right to choose what to do with her own body, outweighs the need to protect the unborn? And isn’t it also alright that some of us can not fathom the idea that destroying an innocent, vulnerable life that has no ability to protect itself, is wrong? Why would someone assume that we all must think in lock step on this question, or that someone with a divergent opinion is to be ridiculed? Haven’t we all disagreed on what is right, what is wrong, what path we need to take? It is hard to comprehend how someone who calls themselves compassionate, empathetic and sympathetic can condemn divergent opinion, yet that is what happens ever day in the discussion regarding abortion

[Elk Hunter 1]

09:25 PM on 02/10/2012

Why are any of them talking about abortions being used for unwanted children?

All of the liberals who I talk to tell me that people don't use abortion as a form or birth control.

I personally don't care what people do with thier lives or bodies, I just don't want to pay for it. I would rather see my tax dollars go to educating some kid who wasn't planned or wanted than see my tax dollars go to women who use this for birth control.

[HexonT3]

07:43 PM on 02/10/2012

I think this took guts for Sherri Shepherd to admit that she had more than one abortion. I also believe she is lucky that she didn't contract HIV.

[flyteeskee]

08:45 PM on 02/10/2012

WhAt does HIV have to do with it? Did she say multiple partners?

[RCnDC]

07:40 PM on 02/10/2012

Here in VA, the baggers took over both chambers and since they took office less than a month ago, 2 bills have been introduced and have passed both chambers in record time... Of course not job related.

1. Banning all GLBT residents of VA from being able to adopt or foster children.

2. Require that all woman also get an ultra sound prior to an abortion and requiring a 24hr waiting period after they receive a copy of the ultrasound.. And they also now require the abortion clinics to have the same facility specs that a regular hospital has.. Specific size hallways ( in buildings that are the size of small houses) certain number of lights, number of bathrooms, same nurse to patient ratio, certain number of patient rooms even though patients do not stay over, the list goes on.. Of course the baggers say it's to ensure womans safety. The same left of care they would get at a regular hospital nonsense... But for the life of me, I don't know why woman continue to vote for these extremists...

[RCnDC]

07:27 PM on 02/10/2012

""Elisabeth Hasselbeck compared it to knowing the facts about a procedure before getting a cyst removed or having kidney surgery." "You would never go through any medical procedure like that...without looking at the scientific evidence," Hasselbeck said. "Why you would ask for an X-ray for those things but not in this case?"

---------------------------------------------

What happened to the baggers concerns that the Government was being too intrusive in a persons health care and the decisions they make surrounding it? Wasn't this one of their main arguments against universal healthcare? I've had 7 surgeries in the past 2.5 yrs, one of which was to install rods and screws into my spine.. I was never offered a detailed step by step visual walk-thru of what they were going to do.. THEY WERE ONLY CONCERNED THAT I SIGNED 2 SEPARATE WAIVERS OF RESPONSIBILITY. ONE IN THE DR OFFICE, AND ONE ON HE OPERATING ROOM TABLE.. Their biggest concern was about being sued if through their own negligence they screwed up..

[joyz41]

12:58 PM on 02/11/2012

People are ususally shown x-rays of the tumor or cyst to be removed, but not a video of an operation removing the tumor. An understanding of alternative treatments to surgery should be provided.

[misslege]

06:20 PM on 02/10/2012

There sure are a lot of judgmental hags on this thread.

[bdazz]

05:10 PM on 02/10/2012

This is a very personal and emotional topic. It rattles people to the core. You can be pro-choice but not pro-abortion.

[RCnDC]

07:18 PM on 02/10/2012

nice...

[noellegrace92]

05:42 PM on 02/15/2012

No, not so much. Choice is a word that people hide behind because abortion is an ugly word. You can either be pro-abortion or anti-abortion. If you support people's right to choose an abortion, then you are pro-abortion. If you support people choosing to own a gun, you're pro-gun. That's generally how it works.

[No death panels]

04:53 PM on 02/10/2012

Well I hope at least now Sherri knows where babies come from.

[BigmamainSC]

04:28 PM on 02/10/2012

That was very brave of her

[Liz In Brooklyn]

03:35 PM on 02/10/2012

I'd have no problem with the sonogram, as long as they finished with fotos of the Texas woman who drowned her five children, eh?

[Robyn Singleton]

12:16 PM on 02/10/2012

How many abortions did she have! Geez. I'm pro choice but many abortions is a lot

[builderman55]

11:51 AM on 02/10/2012

I fear for this country when people like the anti-abortion extremists take control of an issue. Their entire premise is that the vast majority of people are too stupid or too ignorant to make their own decisions of conscience. And this is patently untrue. Are there people who abuse abortion rights? Of course-but on the other side of that are the vast majority of people who make their decisions based on careful reflection. And these people would have the heavy hand of government, ruled by extremists, intervening into this intensely personal matter of conscience. Very dangerous...