Center for Reproductive Rights Releases New PSA Featuring Artist and Actress Jemima Kirke
Jemima tells personal abortion story to raise awareness of impact of anti-choice policies on access to reproductive health
(PRESS RELEASE) Today, the Center for Reproductive Rights released a new PSA featuring British artist and actress Jemima Kirke.
In the video, Jemima shares a powerful story about her own experience seeking an abortion as a college student in 2007. By sharing her personal story, Jemima hopes that women and men across the country will be inspired to share their own experiences as a way to urge more Americans to stand up for reproductive rights.
Jemima’s story is the fourth in a series of PSAs from the Center’s Draw the Line campaign. Previous videos have featured: actor and reproductive rights advocate Mark Ruffalo, model, author, and Bravo “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi, and Tony and multiple Grammy Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater. Additional PSAs will be released in the months to come.
Said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights:
“Jemima Kirke’s deeply moving and personal story highlights the role that shame and stigma play in preventing women from seeking the health care that is best for themselves and their families. Many women like Jemima will also forgo the health care that is best for them simply because they are unable to afford it.
“Instead of passing sham restrictions that only hurt women’s health and chip away at access to critical health care, it is time to focus on stories like Jemima’s and advocate for policies which truly support women and their families. Whether they live in New York, Texas, or Mississippi, all women are entitled to make the best decisions for their lives, their health, and their futures.”
Jemima has been a strong advocate for women’s rights, using her art and role as an actress to comment on the issue. This past January, Jemima participated in another Center for Reproductive Rights campaign, posting a photo of her daughter and declaring “War on Women Is Over! If You Want It.” The campaign, inspired by Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s 1969 “War Is Over” peace campaign, was created with personal permission from Yoko as a tool to educate and active individuals on the profound threats to women’s freedom. It has garnered tremendous celebrity support from the likes of: Taylor Schilling, Susan Sarandon, Martha Plimpton, Glenn Close, Michael Douglas, Sarah Paulson, Nanette Lepore, Bob Balaban, John Lithgow and Yoko herself.
To support the War on Women campaign, the Center for Reproductive Rights (@ReproRights) is urging individuals to join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #WarOnWomen and to call on Congress to promote genuinely pro-woman policies like the recently reintroduced Women’s Health Protection Act—a federal bill that would prohibit states from imposing unconstitutional restrictions on reproductive health care providers that apply to no similar medical care, interfere with women’s personal decision making, and block access to safe and legal abortion services.
