After the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby ruling last month that asserted that closely held corporations were not required to provide contraception coverage for employees, many took to social media to express their disapproval of the ruling. Now, after the Obama administration is in the process of dealing with religious nonprofits that want to opt out of coverage for contraception, HBO’s “Girls” creator and star Lena Dunham took to Twitter on Tuesday, July 22 to ask her followers the simple question of why they need birth control.
Her tweet reads: “I need birth control because I have endometriosis and it helps manage pain. Why do you?” Replies from both men and women spelled out hundreds of reasons why they needed birth control, including reasons for family and life planning and listing a myriad of health concerns
I need birth control because I have endometriosis and it helps manage pain. Why do you?
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) July 23, 2014
User @shragger writes: “@lenadunham I don’t want a baby yet and my periods were stupid heavy and now they aren’t J” @mariayagoda tweets: “@lenadunham polycystic ovary syndrome!!! #hormonedisorderbabe” Yet another follower, @yungg_dad” chimes in tweeting: “@lenadunham because I want every girl I ever love to feel safe with every guy they ever love. And bc could help.”
Dunham, proving a point that contraceptives are a viable medication used for health purposes, tweets to the “brave women and sensitive men,” that she “Love[s] hearing all your reasons for using birth control. And guess what? You don’t need a reason.”
After receiving thousands of responses, Dunham jokingly wrote: “Oh, one other reason I need birth control: cuz once when I was menstruating real bad I said ‘my grandma only likes me cuz I’m on TV.’”
The star and activist has partnered up with Planned Parenthood for her upcoming book tour for her memoir Not That Kind of Girl. The “Girls” creator has been posting links to their website for information about contraceptive coverage and continues to advocate for contraceptives.
