Lena Dunham Faces Backlash for Saying She Wishes She'd Had an Abortion

By Arya Roshanian

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - Lena Dunham has come under scrutiny -- this time for her comments regarding abortion.

Twitter lit up on Tuesday over a portion of Dunham's podcast "Women of the Hour." In the most recent episode she stated that, although she has never had an abortion, she wishes she had in order to fight the stigma surrounding the controversial issue.

During the episode she talked about a visit to Planned Parenthood when a girl asked Dunham if she would take part in a project involving women sharing stories about abortions.

"I wanted to make it really clear to her that as much as I was going out and fighting for other women's options, I myself had never had an abortion," the writer and actress stated. "And I realized then that even I was carrying within myself stigma around this issue. Even I, the woman who cares as much as anybody about a woman's right to choose, felt it was important that people know that I was unblemished in this department."

She went on to add, "I feel so proud of them for their bravery, for their self-knowledge, and it was a really important moment for me then to realize I had internalized some of what society was throwing at us and I had to put it in the garbage. Now I can say that I still haven't had an abortion, but I wish I had."

Dunham's comments have spurred an uproar of reactions on Twitter, with users critiquing her insensitivity towards women who have undergone the procedure themselves. Others expressed fatigue over the parsing of Dunham's controversial statement.

"FYI an abortion is not something you 'get to have.' It's an awful experience one SHOULDN'T wish for like a gift from Santa," wrote one user.