LENA DUNHAM IS FACING A LOT OF WARRANTED CRITICISM FOR HER
STATEMENTS ABOUT ABORTION.
NOW, OF COURSE SHE IDENTIFIES AS A FEMINIST.
SHE ALSO IDENTIFIES AS SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO PROTECT
PRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, BUT HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU DO NOT
PROTECT YOUR PRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, AND ACTUALLY SOMETHING VERY
COUNTERPRODUCTIVE FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO ENSURE THAT WOMEN
GET TO CHOOSE WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR BODIES.
DURING HER PODCAST SHE SAID SOME QUESTIONABLE THINGS.
SO, ON HER PODCAST, WOMEN OF THE HOUR, LAST WEEK, LENA
DUNHAM INFORMED HER AUDIENCE THAT WHILE SHE'S NEVER HAD
AN ABORTION PERSONALLY, SHE WISHES SHE HAD SO SHE COULD
DO HER PART TO REDUCE STIGMA AROUND THE ISSUE.
THE STORY GOES THAT WHEN SHE WAS ASKED TO SHARE HER ABORTION
STORY, SHE DIDN'T HAVE AN ABORTION STORY TO SHARE.
SO HERE'S HER EXACT QUOTE: "NOW I CAN STATE ñ NOW I CAN SAY
THAT I STILL HAVEN'T HAD AN ABORTION, BUT I WISH I HAD."
WHAT SHE'S TRYING TO IMPLY THERE IS, THERE SHOULD BE STIGMA IN
CHOOSING WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR BODY, SO I WISH I HAD A STORY TO
SHARE SO I COULD HELP IN NORMALIZING THIS, RIGHT?
BUT AN ABORTION IS A SERIOUS THING, AND ONE OF THE BIG
ARGUMENTS THAT CONSERVATIVES MAKE IS THAT WOMEN JUST GET
PREGNANT WILLY-NILLY, AND THEN THEY ARE CARELESS, THEY DON'T
CARE ABOUT LIFE.
THEY'LL CARE ABOUT ANYTHING, OR MORALS, SO THEY JUST GO OFF AND
HAVE A QUICKIE ABORTION, AS SARAH SILVERMAN JOKED ABOUT
A FEW YEARS AGO.
BUT MOST WOMEN DON'T TAKE THAT DECISION LIKELY, IT'S A
VERY DIFFICULT DECISION FOR MOST WOMEN TO MAKE, AND WHAT LENA
DUNHAM SAID WAS SO RIDICULOUS, AND TOTALLY MINIMIZED THE ISSUE.
SO, I'M GOING TO GO AROUND THE BEND ON THIS ONE.
ARE YOU?
YEAH, LET ME EXPLAIN.
THE FIRST TIME I SAW HER COMMENTS I THOUGHT,
OBVIOUSLY TOO FAR, WHAT A WEIRD THING TO WISH FOR.
THEN YOU ARE FITTING THIS LIBERAL CARICATURE THAT THE
CONSERVATIVES TRY TO CREATE.
THEN I READ THIS THOUGHTFUL PIECE IN THE DAILY BEAST,
CRITICIZING HER.
BUT THEN IT BE FLIP AROUND A LITTLE BIT, AND KIND OF GO
AROUND TO SUPPORTING LENA DUNHAM.
WHY IS THAT?
THIS WRITER POINTS OUT RIGHTFULLY, LIKE MOST
MEDICAL PROCEDURES IT'S PAINFUL, TIME-CONSUMING AND COSTLY,
AND THERE'S A LOT OF EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE ATTACHED TO IT.
SOME PEOPLE VIEW IT AS AN ISSUE OF MORALS, AND EVEN IF THEY
DON'T, THEY FEEL BAD ABOUT IT.
AND THEN THAT'S WHAT MADE ME START TO THINK, BUT YEAH,
BUT THEY SHOULDN'T FEEL BAD ABOUT IT, AND IT DOESN'T
HAVE TO BE THAT WAY.
IN ASIA, THEY DON'T FEEL ñ I KNOW THAT I'M GENERALIZING HERE
ñ BUT ALMOST AT ALL, BECAUSE THE NON-CHRISTIANS IN ASIA, THEY
DON'T FEEL THAT IT HAS A MORAL COMPONENT, AT ALL.
NOT 1%.
IN FACT, THEY ARE CONFUSED ABOUT IT.
IT'S LIKE SAYING, I'M GOING TO GO GET MY MCL REPAIRED ON
MY KNEE.
IS THAT IMMORAL?
NO, THAT'S THE CRAZIEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE.
MAYBE IT CAN GO ALL THE WAY TO PEOPLE GOING, IT'S A
MEDICAL PROCEDURE, THERE'S NOTHING TO FEEL ASHAMED
ABOUT AT ALL, AND THAT'S THAT.
WHILE I TOTALLY AGREE THAT THERE IS NO REASON TO FEEL ASHAMED IF
YOU CHOOSE TO GO THROUGH WITH THAT PROCEDURE, SAYING I WISH I
HAD AN ABORTION, SO I COULD PLAY A ROLE IN HELPING TO NORMALIZE
IT, IS DAMAGING, BECAUSE NO ONE WISHES TO HAVE AN ABORTION.
NO ONE CERTAINLY WISHES TO HAVE AN ABORTION TO MAKE UP
LITTLE STATEMENT, RIGHT?
ñ TO MAKE A POLITICAL STATEMENT, RIGHT?
WHEN IT HAPPENS, A WOMAN DECIDES THAT SHE ABSOLUTELY MUST DO
THIS, BECAUSE SHE CAN'T PROVIDE FOR HERSELF FOR THE CHILD, OR
SHE IS JUST NOT READY FOR IT, WHATEVER.
SO IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE SHE WAS MINIMIZING IT, AND AGAIN,
IT DOES CREATE THIS CARICATURE OF CERTAIN LIBERALS THAT I
THINK IS DAMAGING, AND COUNTERPRODUCTIVE FOR WHAT
WE ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE HERE.
IT'S A SERIOUS MATTER, AND NO ONE SHOULD MINIMIZE IT AT ALL.
I THINK IT'S A LITTLE CLOSER OF A CALL.
ON THE ONE HAND, WHEN SHE DOES CONFIRM THOSE CARICATURES, IT'S
INFURIATING, RIGHT, BECAUSE THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF
LIBERALS AND PROGRESSIVES THINK IT'S A BIG DEAL, AND NOBODY TAKE
IT LIGHTLY, AND THIS CARICATURE OF WOMEN GOING AROUND, I CAN'T
WAIT TO GET AN ABORTION!
IS JUST NOT TRUE.
ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEN THEY SAY YOU ARE GIVING REPUBLICANS AND
CONSERVATIVES FODDER, IT MAKES ME WANT TO GO, AND...?
I DON'T CARE WHAT CONSERVATIVES THINK, AND I'M TIRED OF
KOWTOWING TO THEM.
THEY ARE ALWAYS THE SPECIAL SNOWFLAKES AND HATE GETTING
OFFENDED.
THEY ARE LIKE, I FIND ABORTION IMMORAL, SO YOU SHOULD FIND
ABORTION IMMORAL.
NO, THAT'S LIKE, YOUR OPINION, MAN.
I DON'T FIND IT IMMORAL AT ALL,
I DON'T START GO AHEAD, CRY, CRY
RIGHT NOW, I'M CUEING YOU, GET TRIGGERED.
SO I KIND OF LIKE HER NOT CARING WHAT THEY THINK, BUT OVERALL
IMPORTANT RULE AGAINST HER, AND I'M BORED TO BE ON YOUR SIDE.
BE A LITTLE BIT CAREFUL.
IF YOU WERE GOING BALLS TO THE WALL, AND YOU WERE DOING IT LIKE
I DID, AND INTENDED TO DO THAT, THEN I'M ON YOUR SIDE, BUT
I DID NOT GET THAT SENSE FROM HER.
I GOT THE SENSE OF HER THAT IT WAS LIKE, A COOL THING, ALMOST.
THAT'S THE THING WITH HER, SHE DOESN'T THINK BEFORE SHE SPEAKS,
AND SHE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE BUBBLE THAT SHE LIVES IN.
IT'S LIKE, THIS WEIRD, WEALTHY, NEW YORK LIBERAL BUBBLE.
AND I DO SAY THAT IN A NEGATIVE WAY.
I FEEL LIKE SHE WANTS TO CONNECT SO BADLY WITH THE
DISENFRANCHISED, OR THE POOR, OR WHATEVER IT IS, AND SHE IS
SO OUT OF TOUCH ON SOME ISSUES, AND THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT.
ONE LAST THING IN HER FAVOR, SHE HAS A GOOD HEART.
SHE WANTS TO EMPATHIZE WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE
DISADVANTAGED OR IN A TOUGH SPOT.
SHE FEELS, I WISH I FELT YOUR PAIN SO I CAN EMPATHIZE
WITH YOU MORE.
LET'S NOT SUCH A BAD THING, SHE'S JUST DOING IT AN
OVER-THE-TOP -
TONE DEAF WAY.
YEAH.
SO EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN BUBBLES, AND WE TELL
CONSERVATIVES NOT TO BE IN THEIR BUBBLE, SO EQUALLY IF YOU ARE IN
THAT NEW YORK BUBBLE AND YOU THINK, WE COULD ALL
EMPATHIZE WITH EACH OTHER IF WE ALL GOT PUNCHED IN THE FACE.
THAT'S NOT THE WAY TO EMPATHIZE.