Priscilla Presley: Elvis asked if I wanted to abort Lisa Marie

In her new book, Elvis Presley's ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, revealed that when she became pregnant with their daughter Lisa Marie on their honeymoon, they felt unprepared for parenthood — and Elvis said he would "support" any choice she wanted to make.

Key Takeaways:

• Priscilla Presley learned she was pregnant a few weeks after marrying Elvis in 1967.

• In her new memoir, Presley explains that neither she nor Elvis felt ready to have a baby so soon, and that Elvis told her he would support her if she wanted an abortion.

• The thought of having an abortion was so upsetting to Priscilla that she cried, and exclaimed, "This is our baby!"

• Abortion had not been widely legalized, but Presley's account makes it clear that people knew they could obtain clandestine illegal abortions.

The Details:

In her new memoir, "Softly As I Leave You: Life After Elvis," Priscilla discussed her relationship with Elvis, whom she married when she was 21 years old. Soon after their wedding, she found out she was pregnant with the couple's only child, Lisa Marie.

Presley, now 80, said the pregnancy came too soon into their marriage, and the revelation of their relationship, which had been kept secret until then.

"Our wedding had meant I could finally come out in the open," she wrote. "I was so excited. But when I got pregnant on my wedding night, those dreams fell apart."

She explained that neither she nor Elvis felt ready to be a parent.

"For weeks, Elvis and I worried in silence about what was to come," she said. "At my lowest point, I even wondered how I'd feel if I had an accident and miscarried. I felt so guilty that I was even having these thoughts."

She said Elvis saw her emotional turmoil, which can be very common during pregnancy, especially in the first few weeks.

"[Elvis] looked at me one day and asked if I wanted to have an abortion," wrote Priscilla. "He told me he'd support whatever I wanted."

Priscilla said this question sparked something inside of her. "The enormity of it hit me head-on, and I began to cry. I told him, 'No! We can't do that. This is our baby!"

They happily welcomed their daughter in 1968, exactly nine months to the day of their wedding. They ultimately divorced in 1973. Lisa Marie, who died in 2023 at age 54, was the couple's only child. Lisa Marie had four children of her own — Riley and Benjamin Keough, and twins Harper and Finley Lockwood (three daughters and a son). Lisa Marie's oldest daughter, Riley, now has two children of her own — making Priscilla Presley a great grandmother.

These generations would not exist if Presley had chosen to end Lisa Marie's life by abortion.

Even decades later, Presley has not forgotten the moment of shock when her husband was willing to support the death of their daughter in a misguided attempt to relieve the temporary panic and uncertainty that they felt.

"Softly, as I Leave You": Priscilla Presley writes about her life after Elvis

Why It Matters:

The couple would most likely have sought an illegal abortion had they decided to consider it, as abortion was not widely legalized at the time — yet it's clear that people knew where to get clandestine abortions if they were willing to break the law. As previously reported by Live Action News (emphasis added):

A Washington Post fact check cited... former Planned Parenthood medical director Mary Steichen Calderone, who said the maternal mortality rate related to abortion had been declining due to antibiotics, and that 90% of illegal abortions were already being committed by trained physicians.

Abortion has been heavily marketed as a women's issue. And yet, many abusive men who have wanted their children aborted against the mothers' wishes have resorted to violence and homicide. Others have chosen to adopt positions of indifference or powerlessness, believing the idea that they had no right to any opinion in the matter.

Both of these attitudes harm women and babies.

When men say they will support whatever "choice" the woman makes, it gives the appearance that the men — the fathers of these children and partners of these women — simply don't care. It puts the full weight of the abortion decision solely on the women, leaving them in even deeper emotional turmoil.

A Lifeway Research survey found that 75% of men whose babies were aborted were asked by their partners what their feelings were about the abortion. Forty two percent (42%) of men whose partners had an abortion said they encouraged their partners to do so, with 12% saying they strongly urged them to have the abortion. More than a quarter (27%) said they advised their partners not to have an abortion, including eight percent (8%) who strongly urged them not to. The same survey found that 31% of men gave no advice, thinking it was a choice that should be left only to the woman.

The Bottom Line:

Men and women conceive children together; both are impacted by a choice of death for their child. A man's abandonment of a woman and her child is an injustice.