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Why is it that whenever some fictional tv character gets pregnant--especially a teenager--and someone brings up abortion (or mentions "options"), everyone freaks out, throws a fit.
Like in the recent series "Secret Life of the American Teenager" (which I despise... Thanks, ABCFamily, for generalizing/stereotyping an ENTIRE AGE GROUP and thus making parents more paranoid...), in the beginning of this clip, the friend on the left is very reasonable and logical, advising Scrawny Pregnant Idiot to go to the doctor just for her health and to keep her options open when all of the sudden! friend on the right bursts into a righteous "You better not be suggesting she get an abortion!" Good use of the subjunctive case, BUT the Reasonable, Logical friend on the Left doesn't even defend herself, just backs down. No, "So what if I'm suggesting it? It's as good an option as all the others, maybe even better because our Scrawny Idiot friend is ONLY FIFTEEN and she doesn't even want to tell her mom that she's pregnant. Her mom won't find out about an abortion (unless she lives in Cali, and that initiative gets passed--cross your fingers), but her mom will definitely find out that she's pregnant! If our Scrawny Idiot friend can't imagine herself being old enough to use the word 'pregnant' in a sentence [wtf?], then she probably shouldn't remain pregnant!"
Or, even worse, in one of Kirsten Dunst's first movies, Fifteen and Pregnant (made by Lifetime, so don't expect great quality), her friend who had a baby as a teen and is miserable brings up abortion and Kirsten fliiiies out of her seat and starts shrieking (nearly incomprehensibly) about how she would NEVER do that, it's the WORST thing, it's DISGUSTING! Etc, etc, etc.
And of course, we all know about Knocked Up not even saying the word (instead saying "shmoshortion").

It makes me so pissed off that none of these writers/directors can handle it like adults. That they all go run and hide behind screamy teens and pretending not to mention it. It makes me so pissed off that they are trying to monger more fear and hatred for abortion, however unwittingly.
I would loooooove to see someone actually being reasonable about abortion and actually seriously considering one at least (unlike Juno, who runs away because of repetitive noises, flavored condoms, funny smells, and fingernails...). I mean, I realize that actually getting an abortion would ruin the whole Trials and Tribulations of Having a Baby plot, but they could at least handle the idea so much better--maybe show a friend or two who've had an abortion and are better off for it.

I want Abortion on my TV!

I'd like to see it once where girl gets pregnant and doesn't freak out and act like its the end of the world. Because that just makes it even more stupid when they choose to continue the pregnancy. Considering the social stigma associated with being a pregnant teenager the last thing you would think they would want is to advocate that these girls actually become teenage mothers.

Or it's all a conspiracy trying to get girls to be mothers at younger and younger ages.

I would like to see a show where girl gets pregnant gets harassed for being a slut/whore etc then decides to get an abortion and thus everything becomes much better because at least she isn't a teenage mother which to me would broadcast the whole "slut/whore" stereotype associated with it. Also that would show me that she doesn't care what people think it's her body and she can do with it what she wants and they can't bring her down.

But I dunno.

On Degrassi, one character had an abortion and the father of the unborn child got upset about it, and crying and yelling, saying but its my baby too its by baby too, etc, etc", and the female character explained that its her body, and her choice.

I was like
:'D

Yeah, as far as corny teen drama goes, Degrassi is actually pretty cool. They even had Sue Johansen guest star as a sex ed teacher! (Lucky Canadians...)



Sadly, it's waaaay more than just Cali!

We've defeated parental consent/notification propositions TWICE now and hopefully we will for a third time, but other many states already have parental consent/notification measures!



Lifetime, to me, is like what the BET network would be like if it was run by the KKK.

Seriously, though, it's probably the least woman-friendly network out there. Every other show is about weddings and every commercial that isn't for some menstrual product is about cleaning products.



Scrubs did the best job in dealing with abortion that I've seen. JD and his girlfriend were contemplating what to do in an unwanted pregnancy, and Jordan (the House-like doctor's wife/girlfriend/whatever-she-is) mentions that she had one. Of course, it gets ruined with some streotypes (Jordan got pregnant in some "slutty" fashion) and stupidity (their son asks what an abortion is and precedes to run around yelling "My mommy had an abortion!") but other than that, very mature.

Oh, and that episode made me hate Laverne because she freaks out and holds up a Jesus statue.

I saw both those episodes. I liked them. At least they don't fear the word.

I was reading an old magazine (Nylon) at my friend's house while she was packing and while I was trying to find the article on How to Win America's Next Top Model, I came across a really good article discussing exactly this subject. It listed all these other shows that are disgusting and graphic and definitely cross the line (with violence, drug use, illegal activity, disturbingly over the top promiscuity (on reality tv! Tila Freaking Tequila)), and yet we still don't have abortion openly on there without people portraying it negatively.
Though they did mention Degrassi, but said it wasn't even aired in the US. They listed off some other shows, but also how they portrayed it. It was a good article.

And I've seen the latter of those two Scrubs episodes and I laughed SO hard at that part. It was even funnier that he was running around popping the baby fetus-shaped balloons.

I'm not sure how relevant this is, but I know that Catherine on CSI is pro-choice and is not afraid to say so. Grissom actually backed her up with Bible passages.

Ehm... I'm not sure which season/episode, but it's the episode that involves a service which takes leftover embryos from in-vitro and finds women who are willing to carry them to term. One of these surrogate mothers was killed by the mother of the woman who provided the embryo. Not sure if that helps gonk