In a new PSA for the Center for Reproductive Rights, the mother of two opens up about the reason why she decided to end her pregnancy when she was a college student.
- April 15, 2015
AceShowbiz -
Jemima Kirke opens up about having abortion when she was a college student in a video as a part of a PSA meant to start a dialogue about reproductive rights. In the video that became a part of Draw the Line campaign, the "Girls" star says that the decision was backed up by her unconducive life at that time.
"In 2007, I became pregnant with my boyfriend at that time. I wasn't sure that I wanted to be attached to this person for the rest of my life," Jemima begins her story in the video produced by Center for Reproductive Rights. "My life was just not conducive to raising a healthy, happy child. I didn't feel it was fair."
She says that she didn't tell her mother about her pregnancy and her plan to have abortion. She was able to afford the procedure by emptying her bank account and getting some money from her boyfriend. "I realized that if I didn't take the anesthesia, I would be able to afford to do this. The anesthesia wasn't that much more, but when you're scrounging for, you know, however many hundreds of dollars, it is a lot," she continues.
She goes on sharing, "It's these obstacles and this stigma that makes these things not completely unavailable. 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."
She further explains that she believes conversation about reproductive issues should be talked about freely especially for women. However, she admits, "I still see shame and embarrassment around terminating pregnancies,"
Jemima also hopes that her daughters' experience of reproductive right will be different from her own. "I'm already anticipating their issues with self-esteem, their issues with their body, the luggage that comes with being a woman," she explains. "I would love if, when they're older... the political issues surrounding their bodies are not there anymore, that they have one less thing to battle around their bodies."
At the end of the video, people are encouraged to sign a petition on the website and share their own stories about the issue.
