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Lena Dunham Apologizes for ‘Distasteful Joke’ About Wishing She’d Had an Abortion

Lena Dunham
Lena DunhamGrant Lamos lV/Getty Images

So sorry! Lena Dunham has been forced to explain herself after comments she made about abortion on her Women of the Hour podcast received major backlash.

The outspoken Girls star said she had never gone through the turmoil of terminating a pregnancy, but wishes she had so that she could better advocate for abortion rights.

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She was slammed on Twitter for her comments, with people branding her “offensive” and accusing her of trivializing the procedure.

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So on Tuesday, December 20, the 30-year-old took to Instagram to apologize for her words.

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“I'm so proud of the medley of voices in the episode. I truly hope a distasteful joke on my part won't diminish the amazing work of all the women who participated,” she wrote. “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 latest podcast episode was meant to tell a multifaceted story about reproductive choice in America, to explain the many reasons women do or don't choose to have children and what bodily autonomy really means. I'm so proud of the medley of voices in the episode. 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. I know plenty of people will never like a thing that leaves my lips, mea culpas or no, but this apology is for the women who have placed their trust in me. You mean everything to me. My life is and always will be devoted to reproductive justice and freedom. You know how in some households you curse and have to put money in a jar? Well in mine, if you mess up your pro-choice messaging you have to give a sizable donation to abortion funds (https://abortionfunds.org/need-abortion) in New York, Texas and Ohio ?I look forward to fighting with you all for the next four years and beyond.

A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on

She also said: “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. I know plenty of people will never like a thing that leaves my lips, mea culpas or no, but this apology is for the women who have placed their trust in me. You mean everything to me. My life is and always will be devoted to reproductive justice and freedom.”

Dunham ended her lengthy post by giving a “sizable donation" to abortion funds in New York, Texas and Ohio.

Check out her full podcast above to see what led her to make the controversial comment.

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