Hilary Swank, Pregnant at 48, Joins Growing List of Celebrities to Conceive Well Into Their 40s

Hilary Swank is 48 and pregnant! The decorated actor told Good Morning America on Tuesday that she’s expecting twins after years of trying to get pregnant. “This is something that I’ve been wanting for a long time, and my next thing is I’m gonna be a mom. And not just of one but of two,” she said. “It’s so nice to be able to talk about it and share it.”

Swank didn’t specify how many weeks pregnant she is, but confirmed that her pregnancy is “far along enough” that she’s comfortable discussing it publicly.

I couldn’t be happier for Swank, who’s spoken openly about wanting kids since 2006. Infertility struggles can be heartbreaking and traumatic, and everyone should be able to choose to parent—or not parent—with all the resources and support they need to thrive. Swank’s story is especially heartwarming in an age when women are being served egg-freezing ads before you even turn 21 (at least in my humble experience). Egg-freezing should be an accessible option for people of all ages who seek it—but there’s something undeniably unnerving about being harassed about your fertility clock before you can legally drink.

At a time when politicians are doing everything in their power to make pregnancy as dangerous and disempowering as possible, stories like Swank’s are especially comforting: They remind us that pregnancy and parenthood should be a joyful choice at any time in life, rather than a terrifying burden imposed by the state.

And Swank is hardly the only person to get pregnant a little later in life—she now joins a host of public figures, ranging from Janet Jackson to Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), to announce a pregnancy well into their 40s.