Lena Dunham apologises for abortion remark

Actress Lena Dunham has apologised after making a “distasteful” comment about wishing she had an abortion. The American creator and star of the hit Sky Atlantic series Girls was heavily criticised after the release of her podcast, Women of the Hour. In it she recounted an incident at a Planned Parenthood meeting in Texas when she was asked to share a story about her own abortion. She told listeners that she had never gone through the procedure, before adding: “But I wish I had.” She has been attacked for trivialising abortion, with one pro-life group saying she was treating it “like getting your appendix removed”.

I would never, ever intentionally trivialise the emotional and physical challenges of terminating a pregnancy. My only goal is to increase awareness and decrease stigma.

Lena Dunham

Dunham responded on Instagram with a picture featuring the word “choice”. She said she was proud of the women who took part in the podcast, which dealt with abortion. “I truly hope a distasteful joke on my part won’t diminish the amazing work of all the women who participated,” she wrote.

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