Winfrey: Losing baby as a teen was 'my second chance'

[Turborama]

Source: CNN

January 17th, 2011 09:18 PM ET -

In the inaugural interview on "Piers Morgan Tonight," talk show queen Oprah Winfrey recalled contemplating suicide at 14 because she was pregnant, and how she feels she was given a second chance when she lost the baby.

"I thought, 'Before the baby was born, I’m going to have to kill myself,' " she told Piers Morgan during the interview, which aired on CNN Monday night, citing the stigma of being an unwed mother at the time, and her father's view of unwed mothers.

Her mother in Milwaukee sent her to live with her father in Nashville, and he didn't know she was pregnant.

"My father ... said to me as I'm standing in the kitchen listening to him, 'These are the rules of the house, you're going to obey the rules, you have a 10 o'clock curfew, and I would rather see a daughter of mine floating down the Cumberland River … than to bring shame on this family and the indecency of an illegitimate child.' "

Read more: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/17/winfrey-losing-baby-as-a-teen-was-my-second-chance/

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Video clip of Oprah talking about her suicidal thoughts at the link.

[Hello_Kitty]

1. So sad but I can't fault her.

A 14 year old with that kind of father in that era didn't really have any options.

[EFerrari]

2. I don't understand why this would be considered news

and not celebrity Deep Thoughts.

[Turborama]

3. Because it is a revelation of a defining moment for one of the most powerful women in America

And for anyone who has lost a child or suffered a miscarriage it could be considered much more than just "celebrity Deep Thoughts".

[Mira]

4. +1 Even for those to whom this did not happen. n/t

[EFerrari]

12. Women lose children every day.

They have miscarriages 1 out of 10 times, iirc.

But I guess this is news because Oprah is rich and has a PR machine? A plug is a plug I guess.

[Turborama]

16. My wife had a miscarriage last year

To us and everyone else who has had one it's not just a statistic.

[EFerrari]

18. Agreed. I don't mean to be troubly

and empathize, as someone who went through the experience twice.

Oprah reflecting on her loss may be valuable to someone but it isn't news. It's self promotion and, glad handing when it's in service of a new talk show. And now, I'll just get out your hair.

[Hello_Kitty]

5. I think it's important to remind people of how it used to be.

We still have a long way to go where girls' and womens' rights are concerned but back then a 14 year old pregnant girl was pretty much SOL.

[EFerrari]

13. Agreed but that's not really news. Important but not news.

[Hello_Kitty]

21. I think it is news because it's Oprah.

Any opportunity to talk about how shitty it was for women pre Griswold v Connecticut and pre Roe v Wade is always useful.

[jillan]

14. +1

[forty6]

6. I don't think anything Sarah Palin reveals about the workings of her diabolic inner mind is news BUT

but, Oprah, I think we owe that woman a lot for her work over the years to help millions of Americans deal with their inner struggles, and when she, herself makes a personal revelation about her early years, yes, I think that's "news".

I would say the same about many women celebrities in the USA, but for Oprah, especially, given what she has overcome, and where she has come to, what she has done for women, (AND men) in America, she is "news" when she has something like this to tell us about herself.

[Turborama]

7. I just found out that Palin was interviewed by Hanity at the same time as Oprah's with Morgan

I wonder how the ratings will compare. Oprah's interview is much more important and newsworthy.

I can't understand why Palin gets so much prominence in the media when she's a failed politician and her fan base is so minuscule.

[EFerrari]

15. A personal revelation is not news, it's an OpEd. n/t

[Turborama]

17. No, losing a baby is not an opinion. n/t

[EFerrari]

19. The story is not reportng the loss of a baby. n/t

[Turborama]

20. I didn't know about it until I saw the interview. It was news to me.

I don't think we're going to get anywhere discussing if this is news.

It's not in LBN anymore, as you desired. Win for you.

[Hannah Bell]

10. +100.

[Fuzz]

8. I just refused to watch that show because of the way they over-promoted it.

Made me nauseous.

[Maru Kitteh]

9. +1 I hope it fails, actually. I hate celebrity crap.

[Turborama]

11. I hope it succeeds in pulling a substantial amount of viewers away from Faux. n/t

[Beacool]

22. She's told this story many times before.

Why is this news now?

:eyes:

[Turborama]

23. Not everyone has heard it. I hadn't until I watched the interview.

Don't worry, it's not in LBN anymore.

[Beacool]

24. That's OK.

I was just wondering why CNN was promoting this interview so much as if it was groundbreaking, when Oprah had talked about it in her show and in other interviews in the past.

:-)