Lena Dunham Apologizes for "Distasteful Joke" About Abortion

"I would never, ever intentionally trivialize the emotional and physical challenges of terminating a pregnancy," the 'Girls' creator wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. "My only goal is to increase awareness and decrease stigma."

Lena Dunham apologized Tuesday for a "distasteful joke" she made while discussing the topic of abortion during her podcast, Women of the Hour.

The Girls creator came under fire for seemingly trivializing the procedure by saying that she had never had an abortion, but "wishes" that she had to fight the social stigma surrounding pro-choice women.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Dunham explained her comments, writing that she takes "reproductive choice in America more seriously than I take literally anything else."

"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," Dunham wrote. "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."

Dunham continued, "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."

Read the full post below.