Opinion

ROOKE: Let Britney Spears’ Story Be A Lesson — Stay Away From Selfish, Sex-Crazed Men

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Mary Rooke Commentary and Analysis Writer
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Britney Spears’ new memoir, “The Woman in Me,” gives us a curated look at her dramatic life, including her relationship with former Mickey Mouse Club star Justin Timberlake, which allegedly ended with an abortion and a break-up text.

Spears and Timberlake were the “it” couple between 1999 and 2002. Entertainment media closely watched their romance. No one could resist following the story of the two most prominent names in pop music coupling. When they broke up, the world was shocked. Rumors swirled that Spears had cheated on Timberlake after the release of his solo song, “Cry Me a River.”

A year later, she released “Everytime,” a song about loss and regret, which everyone assumed was a ballad about her former beau. She told a live audience in 2004 that “Everytime” was the first song she had ever written. Her new memoir appears to shed new light on the song’s meaning. In it, Spears accuses Timberlake of cheating on her, pushing her to abort their child, and breaking up with her via text message. (ROOKE: Dear Men, Sluts Lead To Ruin)

Her fans quickly pointed out that her 2003 song could have been about her and Timberlake choosing to abort their unborn baby and the pain she felt by his rejection. With new context, the official music video is also even darker than initially thought, with Spears being fished out of a bathtub after a possible suicide attempt while singing the words:

“Please, forgive me
My weakness caused you pain
And this song’s my sorry
At night, I pray
That soon your face will fade away

… And every time I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you’re haunting me
I guess I need you, baby.”

If the allegations are true, this is a devastating reminder of the after-effects of abortion and wasting your love on men who are only interested in cheap sex. Spears’ life after Timberlake has been filled with sadness and chaos, which aligns with data published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 2011. Researchers surveyed close to 900,000 women, including over 160,000 women who had had an abortion, and found that a woman who had had an abortion is at an 81% increased risk for mental health issues.

The sad reality is that American women, like Spears, are lied to about the link between abortion and sadness, grief, depression, and anxiety. While our British counterparts are ensuring their women understand they have a 155% increased risk for suicide after an abortion, American doctors repeat the lie: “The best scientific evidence published indicates that among adult women who have an unplanned pregnancy, the relative risk of mental health problems is no greater if they have a single elective first-trimester abortion or deliver that pregnancy.”

Abortion affects you deeply. A woman can carry the pain of ending her child’s life every day until she dies. The lucky ones have a husband and faith to help them heal, like pro-life organizer Emily Rarick, who credits her husband’s “gentle” love for her ability to cope with her severe depression. “I would not be sitting here right now if it weren’t for my husband. I know that God sent him to me and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to love and serve him as well as he has done for me,” Rarick posted on Twitter.

She describes her husband’s support through her suicide attempts, alcoholism, and dreams, where she sees and holds her dead children. “No other person has had to watch me suffer from my abortions like my husband has,” Rarick said. “He has wiped so many tears and held me without knowing what to say or do to help.” (ROOKE: Will Smith Is America’s Masculinity Problem In A Nutshell)

Spears didn’t have that support. Instead, her boyfriend was willing to take her sex before seemingly encouraging her to abort their child. Spears said she always thought she and Timberlake would get married and have a family, but after the abortion, they broke up, and he disappeared. Her dreams fizzled, and her life spiraled out of control until the court system locked her into a seemingly abusive conservatorship.

She broke free from her legal guardianship in November 2021, but her life seems just as chaotic as before. It’s hard to imagine that the same woman in the viral videos dancing with her kitchen knives and crop top was once the biggest pop star on the planet, commanding the sexual attention of all men.

This serves as a heartbreaking warning for women not to believe the lies our society tells them.

Spears is left alone with the trauma of their decision. In actuality, there is no such thing as consequence-free sex. It’s better to stay a virgin than be saddled with the anguish of an abortion while you watch the man you loved brag about his new life without you.

Mary Rooke is a reporter at the Daily Caller.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.