Lena Dunham rubbed quite a few people the wrong way earlier on Tuesday thanks to some comments she made on her podcast. The Girls star and creator is no stranger to controversy and critics who claim she seeks attention, with today’s comments drawing plenty of anger from the public. You can check out the full excerpt over here, but the real eye-catcher that made its way around the internet today goes like this:
Now I can say that I still haven’t had an abortion,” Dunham concluded, “but I wish I had.”
Lots of folks were criticizing the actress for giving “good liberals a bad name” and claimed they were grossed out by her comments. Others just threw up their arms and said “what the f*ck?” None of it too surprising and some of it is warranted, forcing Dunham to address her comments on Instagram:
I truly hope a distasteful joke on my part won’t diminish the amazing work of all the women who participated. My words were spoken from a sort of “delusional girl” persona I often inhabit, a girl who careens between wisdom and ignorance (that’s what my TV show is too) and it didn’t translate. That’s my fault. I would never, ever intentionally trivialize the emotional and physical challenges of terminating a pregnancy. My only goal is to increase awareness and decrease stigma. I take reproductive choice in America more seriously than I take literally anything else, and therefore own full responsibility for any words I speak that don’t convey this truth clearly.
Dunham ends her statement with some links to donate to aid pro-choice fights in New York, Ohio, and Texas, but the whole thing is still a head scratcher. I’m certainly not one to pass judgment on this issue, but the words certainly made me do a double take earlier in the day. Does this add clarity to her comments?
(Via Lena Dunham)