While writing up my review for Grey's Anatomy this morning, and thinking about all the euphemisms I've heard for abortions on recent TV shows, I started wondering about the political fallout of having an abortion on TV. The characters never seem to say the word (it's almost like Lucy and her never-voiced "pregnancy"), it's "going to the clinic" or "the procedure" or "not keeping the baby" or "they say someone has to drive me home afterward..." Someone even commented that all women who have abortions on TV end up dying. Heck, they couldn't even do an abortion on Sex and the City, and that's on cable!
I found this piece on abortions on TV, which brought up some history (in the 70s and 80s, abortions happened frequently in adult dramas) talked about the "convenient miscarriage" plot device (there was one recently on Over There). Evidently, only one modern TV character has undergone an abortion without suffering any long-lasting psychological problems: Claire on Six Feet Under. So, do you think abortions are possible - without fallout - on modern primetime TV? Will Cristina have one? If she does, what will happen to her - and the show?
Here's the pilot for The United States of Tara - VIDEO
TV Squad Ten: 2009 predictions from the cracked crystal ball
24 season seven - An early look
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-27-2005 @ 10:25AM
e said...
Rain atmustyTV did an excellent post on this topic back when "Jack & Bobby" killed off the gal who had an abortion. I have no idea why our modern TV characters can discuss sex so much, but why abortion seems to lead to death. All I can assume is that the networks make the producers do this. It really sucks.
Reply
9-27-2005 @ 10:27AM
e said...
and a side note - I inspire a post, but I still only have one star? What's up with that? =)
Reply
9-27-2005 @ 12:38PM
Brent McKee said...
The answer is clearly not, at least not on American television in the last decade of the 20th and the first decade of the 21st century. Maude Findlay had an abortion in the 1970s without fallout, but you can bet that if Murphy Brown had chosen abortion rather than having a kid, Quayle would have been on her ass for that decision just as he was for what the writers did in reality. The networks are smart/scared enough to realise that if they have characters having an abortion without sense of remorse or some other consequence (she had and abortion and now she can't have kids anymore being a popular one) they'll be attacked mercilessly by the Religious Right. And ABC in particular (and parent Disney) is afraid of the Religious Right.
Reply
9-27-2005 @ 2:35PM
LC said...
I would think that abortion rights supporters would also be upset if they showed more remorseless abortions.
Those who support the right to abort want people to know that a lot of thought and angst go into the decision and do not want their position to be viewed as just another form of birth control, but rather a very serious difficult decision that should be made by the woman.
Reply
9-27-2005 @ 3:28PM
e said...
LC - I completely agree, but that doesn't mean that that couldn't be done on a TV show. If a show can treat other issues seriously, why not abortion? And why not give it a realistic ending?
It's just something to ponder. In our current political state, I think it will be a while before network TV deals with it. Unless Christina does have an abortion on "Grey's Anatomy." I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.
Reply
9-27-2005 @ 5:30PM
sarah gilbert said...
situation rectified, e :)
Reply
9-27-2005 @ 7:24PM
LC said...
I see where you are coming from E, but to tell you the truth, I don't see it so much as political fear as it is writers going for what they think is a dramatic edge.
They cold write a story where a woman anguishes over her decision, has an abortion, maybe mentions it in later episodes, but eventually is both mentally and reproductively fine. Unfortunately, many writers try to milk a story for all it's worth, even if it's a hackneyed situation where the woman cannot have another child or there were complications during the procedure,etc..
THen there is always the money part. A lot of networks simply don't want to piss off the sponsors, which is why you see more credible plots on cable where the viewer actually pays for his/her subscription.
Reply
9-27-2005 @ 7:27PM
LC said...
Oops. Sorry, I thought Brents post was yours when I brought up the politcial angle. Though the second part was an elaboration on what you brought up about the networks influence.
Reply
9-28-2005 @ 1:32AM
Nathan said...
Degrassi Junior High, a Canadian show, dealt with this issue for teenagers none the less, they had protest groups outside the abortion clinic which was for dramatic effect but they also included footage of inside the clinic, the whole experience. Degrassi dealt with many issues that TV shows don't seem to want to deal with anymore it's as if we have gone backwards.
Reply