Lena Dunham pens article on importance of birth control

Lena Dunham has written an article about contraception after learning it may no longer get covered by insurance under President Donald Trump's administration.

 The Girls creator has been an outspoken advocate for birth control and has credited oral contraception for helping her cope with the symptoms of endometriosis, which she began suffering with at 15 years old but was only officially diagnosed with at 27. 

   The 31-year-old has now written an article for The New York Times to react to the revelation that Trump's administration may roll back the requirement that health insurers should cover birth control. 

  In the op-ed piece, published on Friday (09Jun17), she wrote that birth control should not just be covered for their ability to prevent unintended pregnancies but listed all the other health reasons women may be taking the pills and described what could happen if they were taken away, writing, "It helps keep women with the disease happy, healthy and able to work.... Imagine losing these women's essential contributions to our world because of a treatable illness."

  Lena then referred to her own experience, revealing she had been to the emergency room for pain relating to endometriosis 50 times between 1998 and 2017, and even with her financial means, she still required surgery which has "taken several months to heal". 

  "I had to use a walker after the operation," she revealed. "Even with my attempts to add bling to the item, it was a shocking reminder of what this illness can do (and of the fact that denying birth control isn't just misogynistic but also deeply biased against people who are disabled by the disease). 

  "And yet I am one of the lucky ones. I can continue to do my job as a writer and a director, work directly with doctors to ensure my disease is controlled, and feel the support of millions when I am let down by my own body." 

  She concluded the article by urging readers to voice their opposition to the proposal, saying, "Every woman you love, sick or well, is depending on you."