toastykitten (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
toastykitten) wrote2007-02-17 07:58 am
toastykitten) wrote2007-02-17 07:58 am
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the a-word's been cropping up a lot lately...
I thought I'd examine some of the ways that abortion's been cropping up on the fictional television shows that I've been watching. My tastes do lean left, and this is reflected in the shows I choose to watch, but not necessarily in the choices that are made or justified.
Battlestar Galactica
I forget exactly which episode this came on, but I do remember it was early on in the season. The human race is minimized, aging, and not really having babies due to instability, disease, etc. A pregnant Geninese girl manages to make her way to President Roslin and ask for an abortion. President Roslin is placed in a difficult situation - either she grants the Geninese girl an abortion, and piss off the religious conservatives from where she came, or she bans abortion entirely for the somewhat practical if cold-hearted reason of re-populating the human race. Roslin makes a passionate speech and bans abortion, and I think the Geninese girl gets the abortion before executive order has been signed.
Then Baltar declares his candidacy for President.
Anyway, I thought this episode was pretty interesting, because Roslin is in a difficult bind. The government she's running is, nominally, a democracy with notions of individual rights and freedoms, but she increasingly finds herself in tough situations in which she's compelled to make dictatorial solutions. The question of abortion isn't even really about the Geninese girl (I don't even remember if she had a name), but about governance, and how effectively to bring about the best solution for the human race. Force them all to breed like animals, or let them have their choices and leave open the possibility of human extinction? I remember Ronald D. Moore saying in one of his interviews that in doing this show, he found himself increasingly sympathetic to George Bush, because of the difficult choices he had to make. I'm not sure that I can extend that sort of sympathy to him, but I think I see where he's coming from.
Boston Legal
Most of the time, I watch Boston Legal for James Spader and Candice Bergen, although James Spader's character has gotten a bit too skanky for my tastes lately. (Also for the slashtastic goodness between James Spader and William Shatner.) Anyway, abortion comes up at least twice in this show. David E. Kelley has a pretty liberal bias, and it shows in his long-winded speeches/rants that are written for the legal closing arguments. Sometimes they're annoying in a shrill preaching-to-the-choir kind of way, but most of the time, I adore the way James Spader and Candice Bergen act them out.
In one case, Denise (Julie Bowen) and Shirley (Candice Bergen) take on the case of a young girl who got raped and was taken to a Catholic hospital, where she was not given emergency contraception. Consequently, she's pregnant as a result of the Catholic hospital's pro-life stance. The young girl and her mother are suing the Catholic hospital - for what exactly, I'm not sure. As of Shirley and Denise taking the case, the girl has still not decided what to do with her pregnancy. She takes the stand, and mentions that she's always been pro-life, but she had never imagined something like this happening to her. The Catholic hospital defends itself with its pro-life position, and there's something about how she could have gone to the hospital up the street. However, it turns out the girl had arrived at the hospital unconscious, and didn't know where she was when she woke up, and was never given the option. Shirley and Denise win - and we find out that the girl has chosen to have an abortion.
I liked this episode, not only because of the case, but also because we got to see Denise and Shirley bonding over beers, the way Alan and Denny do with scotch and cigars on the balcony. It was a nice touch in a usually completely sexist show, and we get both Denise and Shirley's thoughtfulness and carefulness with the rape victim. She makes a rueful remark about how "they're always pro-life until something happens to them", and I thought it was the best line of the show. The episode did have a kind of "ripped-from-the-headlines" feel, but I didn't mind.
The second episode is the one where Denise gets pregnant. I love Denise's character - she's totally unapologetic about getting what she wants, when she wants it, and it's always fun to watch her. Denise has been doing a "friends-with-benefits" deal with both Brad and Jeffrey, with only Brad in ignorance of the other one, until Brad finds out. Brad ends his deal with Denise, and then Denise finds out she's pregnant. (Julie Bowen is pregnant in real life.) We find out that the father is Brad. We see Denise freaking out, and then wondering what she's going to do. Another character tells her, "Well, you have two choices. You can have it, or not." Simple, no? I actually prefer this portrayal to "desperate rape victim" plotlines, because it's about consenting, well-paid adults who are still freaking out over whether they're ready for this, or if they can handle it. Everyone freaks out about pregnancy (especially if you're the one that's pregnant), and there's nothing abnormal about that. Anyway, while Brad gets all excited about schools and stuff (hello, Brad, baby not born yet!), Denise informs him that she doesn't even know if she's going to have it yet. Brad freaks out, because he is the show's conservative character, and I forgot the rest of the episode, but I think he threatens to take her to court to prevent an abortion. Anyway, Denise makes the point that it's not his choice to make. They end the episode with the fight and I haven't watched the newest episode yet.
There's really no suspense other than "will Denise still let Brad have any say in the child's life" because we all know Julie Bowen is pregnant in real life, and pretty soon it's going to be hard to hide. While I did like that the situation was more "consenting adults deciding what to do", the writing left something to be desired. I liked Brad as a character, but I didn't like the way he fought with Denise - he should have known better. Anyway, some of the drama has been taken out of the episode because I know Denise isn't going to choose an abortion. Maybe if she weren't pregnant in real life, the writers would have written in an abortion.
Scrubs
J.D. gets Kim (not me) pregnant without actually having sex. I didn't watch the episode where they explain that. But they have a discussion about what their choices in this situation are, and decide to mull over it, while Turk and Carla deliver their baby. Laverne overhears them discussing abortion, and sticks a statue of Jesus next to them to remind them of the consequences. What makes this part funny is that J.D. is Jewish, but he still gets sucked into discussing stuff with Jesus in his head anyway. I liked that the show was cool enough to make a few genuinely funny abortion jokes, but I was totally disappointed that they chose to have the kid at the end because they saw Carla's baby and it was cute. I mean, that's one of the worst reasons to have a baby. I then called a miscarriage later on in the show.
When Kim tells J.D. that she has a miscarriage, I yelled "CALLED IT". Then we see her getting an ultrasound. What the fuck, writers? That makes her such a jerk - why would you do that, unless the baby is not his, in which case she should tell him, or she had more doubts and wanted to give the baby up for adoption, in which case she should tell him, or she just wanted a clean break, in which case she should TELL HIM. Arrgh - I found this decision of hers to have the baby and not tell J.D. about it completely unbelievable and assholish, and hope the writers find a way to resolve it satisfactorily. It's so unrealistic, too - doctors live in the same world - J.D.'s going to find out about the baby one way or another and there will be drama. They really should have just gone for the abortion - they didn't know each other all that well when she got pregnant, she'd just gotten out of a long marriage, and frankly, neither of them had the maturity level to deal with it, unless the show is going in a "babies make you grow up" direction, which I don't particularly like, either.
Six Feet Under
This is the best portrayal of how abortion is handled that I've seen, so far. Claire is a smart, artsy teenage girl who sleeps with her boyfriend, whom she later finds out has slept with their male art teacher. She finds it really fucking gross and dumps him. We see her throwing up, and then finding out that she's pregnant. She doesn't really react to this or tell anyone, but she goes to the television equivalent of Planned Parenthood and makes an appointment to get an abortion. The person tells her that she should find a ride, which is going to be difficult, given that she hasn't told anyone, she doesn't have any friends besides the boyfriend she dumped and her family is freaking out because their brother's wife is missing. She sort of asks her brothers if they're free, but they're all busy and she doesn't tell them what's going on.
She happens to meet Brenda, her brother's ex-wife. The brother fights with her, and Claire asks her for a ride so she can get an abortion. This is my favorite part, because then she rolls her eyes, as if she can't believe she has to do this. It's such a teenager-y thing to do, too. So she gets the abortion and then doesn't tell anyone else. She's not traumatized and she's moving on with her life and she can forget she was ever pregnant.
If only it was like that all the time.
I forget exactly which episode this came on, but I do remember it was early on in the season. The human race is minimized, aging, and not really having babies due to instability, disease, etc. A pregnant Geninese girl manages to make her way to President Roslin and ask for an abortion. President Roslin is placed in a difficult situation - either she grants the Geninese girl an abortion, and piss off the religious conservatives from where she came, or she bans abortion entirely for the somewhat practical if cold-hearted reason of re-populating the human race. Roslin makes a passionate speech and bans abortion, and I think the Geninese girl gets the abortion before executive order has been signed.
Then Baltar declares his candidacy for President.
Anyway, I thought this episode was pretty interesting, because Roslin is in a difficult bind. The government she's running is, nominally, a democracy with notions of individual rights and freedoms, but she increasingly finds herself in tough situations in which she's compelled to make dictatorial solutions. The question of abortion isn't even really about the Geninese girl (I don't even remember if she had a name), but about governance, and how effectively to bring about the best solution for the human race. Force them all to breed like animals, or let them have their choices and leave open the possibility of human extinction? I remember Ronald D. Moore saying in one of his interviews that in doing this show, he found himself increasingly sympathetic to George Bush, because of the difficult choices he had to make. I'm not sure that I can extend that sort of sympathy to him, but I think I see where he's coming from.
Boston Legal
Most of the time, I watch Boston Legal for James Spader and Candice Bergen, although James Spader's character has gotten a bit too skanky for my tastes lately. (Also for the slashtastic goodness between James Spader and William Shatner.) Anyway, abortion comes up at least twice in this show. David E. Kelley has a pretty liberal bias, and it shows in his long-winded speeches/rants that are written for the legal closing arguments. Sometimes they're annoying in a shrill preaching-to-the-choir kind of way, but most of the time, I adore the way James Spader and Candice Bergen act them out.
In one case, Denise (Julie Bowen) and Shirley (Candice Bergen) take on the case of a young girl who got raped and was taken to a Catholic hospital, where she was not given emergency contraception. Consequently, she's pregnant as a result of the Catholic hospital's pro-life stance. The young girl and her mother are suing the Catholic hospital - for what exactly, I'm not sure. As of Shirley and Denise taking the case, the girl has still not decided what to do with her pregnancy. She takes the stand, and mentions that she's always been pro-life, but she had never imagined something like this happening to her. The Catholic hospital defends itself with its pro-life position, and there's something about how she could have gone to the hospital up the street. However, it turns out the girl had arrived at the hospital unconscious, and didn't know where she was when she woke up, and was never given the option. Shirley and Denise win - and we find out that the girl has chosen to have an abortion.
I liked this episode, not only because of the case, but also because we got to see Denise and Shirley bonding over beers, the way Alan and Denny do with scotch and cigars on the balcony. It was a nice touch in a usually completely sexist show, and we get both Denise and Shirley's thoughtfulness and carefulness with the rape victim. She makes a rueful remark about how "they're always pro-life until something happens to them", and I thought it was the best line of the show. The episode did have a kind of "ripped-from-the-headlines" feel, but I didn't mind.
The second episode is the one where Denise gets pregnant. I love Denise's character - she's totally unapologetic about getting what she wants, when she wants it, and it's always fun to watch her. Denise has been doing a "friends-with-benefits" deal with both Brad and Jeffrey, with only Brad in ignorance of the other one, until Brad finds out. Brad ends his deal with Denise, and then Denise finds out she's pregnant. (Julie Bowen is pregnant in real life.) We find out that the father is Brad. We see Denise freaking out, and then wondering what she's going to do. Another character tells her, "Well, you have two choices. You can have it, or not." Simple, no? I actually prefer this portrayal to "desperate rape victim" plotlines, because it's about consenting, well-paid adults who are still freaking out over whether they're ready for this, or if they can handle it. Everyone freaks out about pregnancy (especially if you're the one that's pregnant), and there's nothing abnormal about that. Anyway, while Brad gets all excited about schools and stuff (hello, Brad, baby not born yet!), Denise informs him that she doesn't even know if she's going to have it yet. Brad freaks out, because he is the show's conservative character, and I forgot the rest of the episode, but I think he threatens to take her to court to prevent an abortion. Anyway, Denise makes the point that it's not his choice to make. They end the episode with the fight and I haven't watched the newest episode yet.
There's really no suspense other than "will Denise still let Brad have any say in the child's life" because we all know Julie Bowen is pregnant in real life, and pretty soon it's going to be hard to hide. While I did like that the situation was more "consenting adults deciding what to do", the writing left something to be desired. I liked Brad as a character, but I didn't like the way he fought with Denise - he should have known better. Anyway, some of the drama has been taken out of the episode because I know Denise isn't going to choose an abortion. Maybe if she weren't pregnant in real life, the writers would have written in an abortion.
Scrubs
J.D. gets Kim (not me) pregnant without actually having sex. I didn't watch the episode where they explain that. But they have a discussion about what their choices in this situation are, and decide to mull over it, while Turk and Carla deliver their baby. Laverne overhears them discussing abortion, and sticks a statue of Jesus next to them to remind them of the consequences. What makes this part funny is that J.D. is Jewish, but he still gets sucked into discussing stuff with Jesus in his head anyway. I liked that the show was cool enough to make a few genuinely funny abortion jokes, but I was totally disappointed that they chose to have the kid at the end because they saw Carla's baby and it was cute. I mean, that's one of the worst reasons to have a baby. I then called a miscarriage later on in the show.
When Kim tells J.D. that she has a miscarriage, I yelled "CALLED IT". Then we see her getting an ultrasound. What the fuck, writers? That makes her such a jerk - why would you do that, unless the baby is not his, in which case she should tell him, or she had more doubts and wanted to give the baby up for adoption, in which case she should tell him, or she just wanted a clean break, in which case she should TELL HIM. Arrgh - I found this decision of hers to have the baby and not tell J.D. about it completely unbelievable and assholish, and hope the writers find a way to resolve it satisfactorily. It's so unrealistic, too - doctors live in the same world - J.D.'s going to find out about the baby one way or another and there will be drama. They really should have just gone for the abortion - they didn't know each other all that well when she got pregnant, she'd just gotten out of a long marriage, and frankly, neither of them had the maturity level to deal with it, unless the show is going in a "babies make you grow up" direction, which I don't particularly like, either.
Six Feet Under
This is the best portrayal of how abortion is handled that I've seen, so far. Claire is a smart, artsy teenage girl who sleeps with her boyfriend, whom she later finds out has slept with their male art teacher. She finds it really fucking gross and dumps him. We see her throwing up, and then finding out that she's pregnant. She doesn't really react to this or tell anyone, but she goes to the television equivalent of Planned Parenthood and makes an appointment to get an abortion. The person tells her that she should find a ride, which is going to be difficult, given that she hasn't told anyone, she doesn't have any friends besides the boyfriend she dumped and her family is freaking out because their brother's wife is missing. She sort of asks her brothers if they're free, but they're all busy and she doesn't tell them what's going on.
She happens to meet Brenda, her brother's ex-wife. The brother fights with her, and Claire asks her for a ride so she can get an abortion. This is my favorite part, because then she rolls her eyes, as if she can't believe she has to do this. It's such a teenager-y thing to do, too. So she gets the abortion and then doesn't tell anyone else. She's not traumatized and she's moving on with her life and she can forget she was ever pregnant.
If only it was like that all the time.