The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Abortion Portrayals in Media

Sofia Mucha
Jul 24, 2017 · 8 min read

Written by Sofia Mucha

Juno (2007)

Ever since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the 1973 landmark decision of Roe v. Wade, abortion storylines have been increasingly prevalent in television, movies, and news media (Culp-Ressler). With reproductive health rights at risk again due to an anti-choice presidential administration, it is crucial for the media to produce more positive portrayals of abortion, keeping in mind the rhetoric and narratives used. Abortion affects everyone of all genders, sexualities, classes, races, and religions, so protecting it as a fundamental human right is vital. When the media portrays abortion in a negative way, it encourages anti-choice activists and lawmakers to perpetuate dangerous myths about abortion and pass laws that restrict a woman’s right to choose (Culp-Ressler). Though abortion storylines are improving, there are many examples of substandard abortion portrayals in media.

In the past 50 years, there has been an increase in movies featuring abortion and unplanned pregnancies. In a study done by Gretchen Sisson and Katrina Kimport from the think tank Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, about 57% of these kinds of plots end in abortion (Culp-Ressler). However, there is still a glaring issue in how abortion is portrayed on the silver screen. An example of a film with a sub-par abortion storyline is the 2007 comedy-drama, Juno, starring Ellen Page as a 16-year-old girl dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. When the character of Juno finds out she is pregnant, she immediately decides she wants to end her pregnancy, even stating to a clinic nurse that she needs to “procure a hasty abortion” (Juno). She is seen as confident and sure of her choice until she has an encounter with a classmate protesting outside the abortion clinic. The classmate chants, “All babies want to be born,” and tells Juno that her “baby” has fingernails, a common technique used by anti-choice activists to instill guilt in women considering an abortion (Juno). Once she enters the clinic, she meets an unsympathetic receptionist who embodies the anti-choice stereotype of the “callous abortion provider” (Juno). The receptionist casually discusses condoms, sex, and asks Juno about “every sore and every score” (Juno) This exchange disturbs Juno who sits in the waiting room, filling out intimidating-looking paperwork and staring at the nervous, miserable woman who surround her. Rather than staying and learning more about her choices, Juno becomes uncomfortable and literally runs out of the clinic. The option of abortion is never mentioned again in the film and all of Juno’s problems are miraculously solved when a white, upper-middle class couple agrees to adopt her baby (Juno). This scene in Juno perpetuates the stereotype that abortion clinics are cold, scary facilities filled with uncaring clinic workers and depressed young mothers. The most harmful aspect about this movie’s portrayal of abortion is the fact that the film is targeted towards an audience of young adults who may find themselves in the same position as Juno. By conveying a negative message about abortion, these viewers could potentially romanticize the idea of teen pregnancy and not consider every choice available to them.

In comparison, one film that utilizes more realistic abortion storylines is the 1999 movie, The Cider House Rules, based on the novel by John Irving. The film, starring Michael Caine and Tobey Maguire, tells the story of an orphanage run by an obstetrician who also performs abortions. The movie is set during the first half of the 20th century, a time when abortion was still illegal. In the film, Michael Caine’s character of Dr. Larch mentors and teaches Tobey Maguire’s orphaned character, Homer Wells, how to be a doctor and how to perform abortions. Homer becomes a gifted obstetrician, but struggles with the morality of abortion. While this movie isn’t perfect in its portrayal of abortions, it does a much better job than films like Juno. Unlike Juno, which only discusses abortion in one scene, the topic of abortion is found throughout The Cider House Rules. In Juno, when Ellen Page’s character chooses not to have an abortion, everything works out for her and the baby is given to a loving family. The Cider House Rules shows the reality of that kind of decision by depicting the overcrowded orphanage filled with unwanted children. The rhetoric used in The Cider House Rules is also much better than that used in Juno. In the film, rather than avoiding Homer’s feelings of guilt about performing abortions, Dr. Larch addresses the issue head on stating, “Because abortions are illegal, women who need and want them have no choice in the matter, and you, because you know how to perform them, have no choice, either. If abortion was legal, a woman would have a choice and so would you” (The Cider House Rules) This frank discussion on the morality of abortion is really what sets The Cider House Rules apart from other films. There are many other exceptional examples of abortion storylines in movies, but The Cider House Rules is one that handles abortion remarkably well.

In recent years, abortion storylines have also commonly been featured on primetime network television. However, not all portrayals are positive. Two recent examples of negative television representation of abortion come from the popular shows, House of Cards and The Walking Dead. The episode, “Secrets,” in the second season of The Walking Dead, shows one of the main characters, Lori, trying to procure an abortion to avoid having a baby during the zombie apocalypse (The Walking Dead). In the episode, Lori is several weeks pregnant and decides to take the morning-after-pill as a way to induce abortion. Her character eventually vomits up the pills and she ultimately decides to keep her baby (The Walking Dead). What’s problematic about this depiction of abortion is that it both completely promotes false information about abortion and falls into the same old trope where the woman contemplating abortion does the “right” thing and keeps her child. It is also important to note that because there is already so much confusion about the difference between medication abortions and emergency contraception, showing a main character trying to have an abortion using a pill that can only prevent pregnancy only further spreads misinformation. In season two of House of Cards, the character of Claire Underwood, wife to the Vice President of the United States, admits in a TV interview that she had an abortion (House of Cards). However, knowing the heavy stigma of abortion and the damage it could do to her husband’s career, she lies and claims that the pregnancy was a result of rape (House of Cards). By equating abortion to something as violent as rape, the show does a disservice to women who get abortions for reasons other than rape and incest (Manning). The show also conveys another dangerous misconception about abortion when a doctor tells Claire that her three previous abortions have made her unable to conceive. Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures, safer than wisdom tooth extraction and childbirth itself, but portrayals like this one only undermine that fact. Two shows that do get abortion right are Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, both produced by Shonda Rhimes, a writer with pro-choice views. In season eight of Grey’s Anatomy, the character of Dr. Cristina Yang confidently decides to have an abortion simply because she doesn’t want a baby (Grey’s Anatomy). There is a similar plot in the fifth season of Scandal when the character of Olivia Pope, a powerful D.C. political fixer, decides to undergo an abortion because she doesn’t want to jeopardize her career or relationship (Scandal). These honest, realistic storylines show abortion in a positive light and help end the stigma around terminating a pregnancy.

Finally, it is important to analyze the use of rhetoric and storylines surrounding abortion within news media. A recent example of news media botching a discussion on abortion occurred within a March 2017 New York Times op-ed piece on the Democratic Party and their loyalty to the pro-choice cause. In the piece, writer Thomas Groome criticizes the Democratic Party for being the “Abortion Party” (Groome). However, in his 900-word op-ed, the words “woman” and “women” only appear once. He suggests that Democrats stop being the abortion party in order to attract Catholic voters, yet ignores the fact that women vote Democrat because they want to protect their access to reproductive care (Groome). A more positive news article on abortion comes from a 2014 Washington Post article about the use of the term “a difficult decision” when describing an abortion. The writer, Janet Harris, criticizes the use of this term by Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and pro-choice politicians. By framing abortion as a difficult decision, it implies that women can’t make the choice on their own which can lead to more paternalistic “informed consent” laws (Harris). Harris uses positive rhetoric about abortion throughout the piece and even includes her own experience of having an abortion to provide further insight into the issue.

With the current political climate becoming increasingly anti-choice, it is crucial for media sources to portray abortions in a way that doesn’t fall into dangerous stereotypes, doesn’t spread misinformation about the procedure itself, and shows women having abortions for reasons as simple as not wanting to have a baby. Abortion is an extremely common medical procedure, with 1 in 3 women having an one at some point in their life. In order to end the stigma of abortion and stop anti-choice lawmakers from restricting abortion access, the representation of this procedure needs to improve within movies, television, and news media.

Sources:

· “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Scandal: Season 5, written by Shonda Rhimes and Mark Wilding, directed by Tom Verica, The ABC Studios, 2015.

· “Chapter 17.” House of Cards: Season 2, written by Beau Willimon and Laura Eason, directed by James Foley, Netflix, 2014.

· Culp-Ressler, Tara. “More Than Four Decades After Roe v. Wade, What Stories Are We Telling About Abortion?” ThinkProgress, 22 Jan 2014

· Groome, Thomas. “To Win Again, Democrats Must Stop Being the Abortion Party” The New York Times, 27 Mar 2017

· Harris, Janet. “Stop Calling Abortion a Difficult Decision” The Washington Post, 15 Aug 2014

· Juno. Directed by Jason Reitman, performances by Ellen Page, Jason Bateman, and Jennifer Garner, Mandate Pictures, 2007.

· Manning, Kate. “How the Media Sensationalizes Abortion.” The Guardian, 24 Jun 2013

· The Cider House Rules. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, performances by Michael Caine, Tobey Maguire, and Charlize Theron, Miramax, 1999.

· “Secrets.” The Walking Dead: Season 2, written by Frank Darabont and Robert Kirkman, directed by David Boyd, American Movie Classics, 2011.

· “She’s Gone.” Grey’s Anatomy: Season 8, written by Shonda Rhimes and Debora Cahn, directed by Tony Phelan, The ABC Studios, 2011.

Sofia Mucha
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