Jemima Kirke From ‘Girls’ Shares The Story Of Her Abortion In Support Of Reproductive Rights

In the first season of Girls, Jemima Kirke’s character Jessa was scheduled to have an abortion. Although the character ended up with what’s been termed a “convenient miscarriage“, the subject and the way it was handled mostly sent a strong statement about the kind of ballsy, progressive, and realistic show it was going to be — especially given that this was only in the second episode. But more importantly, it was part of a larger sophisticated pro-choice dialogue which Lena Dunham continues to champion to this day.

Now, Kirke has made a statement of her own. Speaking in support of reproductive rights campaign Draw The Line, the artist and actor has shared the story of her own real-life abortion. It was 2007, she was in uni, she was broke, and the idea of being tied to her college boyfriend for the rest of her life seemed less than ideal.

“My life was just not conducive to raising a healthy happy child,” she said. “I just didn’t feel it was fair.”

Run by the Centre for Reproductive Rights — a non-profit legal advocacy group which lobbies governments around the world for safe and legal access to abortions — the campaign is run in an attempt to lose some of the stigma which still surrounds the issue.

More than 300,000 people have signed a pledge on their site which affirms “My word is the last word on my reproductive health care”, and celebrities like Meryl Streep and Amy Poehler have also recorded statements offering their support on the issue. Kirke is just one of the dozens of women who have already shared the stories of their own terminations.

“I’ve always felt that reproductive issues are something that women should be able to talk about, especially amongst each other,” she said. “But I still see that today — I still see shame and embarrassment around terminating pregnancies, getting pregnant.”

One of the most interesting aspects of Kirke’s discussion is the small problems she faced when seeking an abortion: for instance, the fact she couldn’t afford anaesthesia and felt she couldn’t tell her mother about it.

“It’s these obstacles and this stigma that makes these things not completely unavailable,” she said. “And that’s the tricky part, we do have free choice, and we are able to do whatever we want, but then there are these little hoops we have to jump through to get them.”

It’s a point that feels especially pertinent here in Australia, where abortion remains in the criminal code in many states.

–

You can read more about Draw The Line, or share your own story here.