# Abortion on TV Series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584 "2011-05-20T16:18:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/1 "2011-05-20T16:18:43Z")
In another thread, a main character is pregnant and a mention was made of her having an abortion. I’m trying to think of show’s where there was an abortion. It gets mentioned as an option, but no one seems to have one. The two I can think of are _Maude_ (Maude herself, and it caused quite a stir), and _St. Elsewhere_ (Lizzie Westphal). Any others? I’m guessing in the modern climate, it’ll never happen again (at least not on network TV) - to much controversy, and no sponser would want to take the heat. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/2 "2011-05-20T16:51:44Z")
Uh…this character was pregnant before but didn’t have a baby. Did she have a miscarriage before, or another abortion? Anyway, there are abortions on TV…but only magical ones. Cordelia on Angel and Phoebe on Charmed both had magical abortions that kept them from having demon-spawn. I think there was real potential there with evil offspring, but what can you do? Oh, and I’m pretty sure that late in the series Abby on ER confessed to having an abortion, but it was supposed to have been when she wasn’t yet working at county. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/3 "2011-05-20T16:59:22Z")
It didn’t happen ‘on-screen,’ but Jordan from Scrubs admitted to having an abortion when she was a teenager. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/4 "2011-05-20T17:05:13Z")
Christina Yang on “Grey’s Anatomy” is planning on having one, though her husband isn’t happy about it, and she hasn’t acutally done it yet. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/5 "2011-05-20T17:06:40Z")
On Sex and the City, Carrie and Samantha mention having had an abortion (two for Sam, actually) before the show started. Miranda almost gets one but then decides to have the baby. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/6 "2011-05-20T17:06:55Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Christina Yang on “Grey’s Anatomy” is planning on having one, though her husband isn’t happy about it, and she hasn’t acutally done it yet. > > -Joe She had one in season one (or had a convenient miscarriage after deciding to have one) with Burke’s child. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/7 "2011-05-20T17:08:16Z")
Didn’t Christina have one in like the third or fourth episode of season one? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/8 "2011-05-20T17:09:28Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Didn’t Christina have one in like the third or fourth episode of season one? Yup. Look up. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/9 "2011-05-20T17:23:16Z")
Usually the way it goes on TV shows: “Oh noes! I’m preggers! This is not good for one of several reasons. Maybe I should have an abortion.” Then either: “No, I can’t do that. I will Have And Raise The Baby.” or “Well, I’m gonna have the abortion next week.” but either way, it’s almost always followed by: “Whew! What a convenient miscarriage!” ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/10 "2011-05-20T17:32:35Z")
The character with the scratchy voice (ellen?) on thirtysomething had one. I don’t believe it happened during the show, but it was definitely mentioned after the main character had a miscarriage. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/11 "2011-05-20T17:38:14Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Yup. Look up. 🙂 I did, I was just too lazy to edit. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/12 "2011-05-20T17:39:28Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I did, I was just too lazy to edit. So your edit was… aborted? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/13 "2011-05-20T17:40:32Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Usually the way it goes on TV shows: > > “Oh noes! I’m preggers! This is not good for one of several reasons. Maybe I should have an abortion.” > > Then either: > > “No, I can’t do that. I will Have And Raise The Baby.” > or > “Well, I’m gonna have the abortion next week.” > > but either way, it’s almost always followed by: > > “Whew! What a convenient miscarriage!” Don’t forget the fall down the stairs. That’s the classic TV miscarriage mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/14 "2011-05-20T17:42:08Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Usually the way it goes on TV shows: > > “Oh noes! I’m preggers! This is not good for one of several reasons. Maybe I should have an abortion.” > > Then either: > > “No, I can’t do that. I will Have And Raise The Baby.” > or > “Well, I’m gonna have the abortion next week.” > > but either way, it’s almost always followed by: > > “Whew! What a convenient miscarriage!” I remember listening to a DVD episode commentary for a teenage pregnancy episode on ‘Party of Five’, and one of the writers mentioning that the writing staff wanted to have Julia actually get the abortion, but that FOX network execs refused and so they landed back on the miscarriage ending. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/15 "2011-05-20T17:49:48Z")
Friday Night Lights, near the end of Season 3. Girl gets objective/supportive advice from coach’s wife/hot hight school principal & does have abortion. Word gets out & principal has to fight for her job. There was a show in the late 1970s with Jack Klugman I believe as a urban working-class guy whose daughter went to get an abortion, backed out & then with his support, went back & got it. Controversy at the time was an edited bit of dialog. To him “But you’re Catholic, what would the Pope say?”, Him- “The Pope doesn’t have a teenage daughter.” was changed to “Serbian Orthodox” & “the Bishop”. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/16 "2011-05-20T17:51:50Z")
Claire from Six Feet Under had an abortion, but maybe HBO can be more free in what the characters in their shows do. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/17 "2011-05-20T17:55:52Z")
On Third Watch, one of the characters get pregnant. They have financial problems, and she is thinking about an abortion. I can’t remember if she discusses it with her husband. She either doesn’t or he says “oh we’ll make it work somehow.” She is assaulted at work and tells everyone she had a miscarriage. Actually, she had an abortion because she didn’t feel they could support another child. Season 2, episode 2. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/18 "2011-05-20T18:00:32Z")
Throughout it’s several series, there have been a couple high school age characters on \*Degrassi \*who have gotten abortions, one of which happened around 1989-1990. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/19 "2011-05-20T18:05:04Z")
On **Mad Men** , while Joan did not get one in Season 4, it was clear that she had had them before. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584/20 "2011-05-20T18:11:15Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > On Third Watch […] Season 2, episode 2. This is a gut-wrenching episode. Still remember Faith in the stirrups (and the look on her face in close up) from the original broadcast. As it happens, I have been watching _Third Watch_ again with my wife (who hasn’t seen it) and this is the next one up. I’m a little hesitant to fire it up, because she already complains that _Third Watch_ is too stressful when it shows kids in jeopardy, generally, and she finds this hard to watch when she’s pregnant. “Hey, honey, you’re gonna _love_ this one!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-on-tv-series/582584.md?page=2)