According to one scholarly article written by Raquel
Lopez, contraceptive acts have been committed by humans since ancient times,
but it wasn’t until 500 CE that the Hebrews posited whether it was a moral
practice. They had decided the fetus does not have rights while it remains
inside the mother, therefore abortion would be an accepted practice, but even
today abortion still carries some stigma.
There are television shows that strengthen knowledge of
the realities of abortion, showcasing it in a way that does not demonize it,
but there are also many that have a goal of discouraging abortion. Many shows use scare tactics, and a few even use false information as part of
the storyline to defame abortion. Using an article from Refinery29, I
found depictions of abortion in television and film, and I will use an example given and apply it to a broader context.
In season 1 of House
of Cards, Claire Underwood, the wife of the vice president admits in an interview that she
had an abortion but claimed it was because she was raped. In reality the
pregnancy was not the result of rape and she had actually had three abortions,
rather than one. It is understandable why she lied about the cause of the
pregnancy; as of 2017, a Pew survey states 40% of Americans believe
abortion should be illegal in most or all cases. The wife of the vice president
would surely cause controversy if she outright admitted she had three abortions
by choice, and it would impact her husband’s work and reputation to a great
extent. As a side point, it is interesting how a woman’s decision to not
continue with a pregnancy would impact a man so much.
Another aspect of the episode that serves to harm the public’s
opinion of abortion is when Claire is told by her doctor that the abortions
have compromised her ability to conceive. What’s misleading about this is the
fact that, according to Mayo Clinic, “elective abortion isn’t thought to
cause fertility issues or complications in future pregnancies”. This is an
example of inaccurate fear tactics used by some television shows that promote a
false narrative of what it is like to get an abortion and can be harmful to
someone especially because
This is one example of television promoting the stigma
against abortion, but there are many more. There are also shows that have
attempted to correct this and educate audiences, and this cannot be discounted,
for they are surely having an impact as well.
Great Blog television it seems use a lot of fear tactics as studies show and we saw in class those who view violent television a lot fell unsafe in the night especially walking alone at night and alone.
ReplyDeleteTelevision it seems to twist our reality and make us feel a way but in reality it is the complete opposite of what television says.
It seems whenever abortions are seen on TV it's usually in the case of a young and lower income teen, most of the time a minority. She's making the choice to have the abortion because of her circumstance. It's rare that you see it when a woman just doesn't want to have a child. They like to portray abortions as the final end all be all decision. When it shouldn't be, it's a choice a woman can make on her own.
ReplyDeleteI really like this blog post! Movies and television have stigmatized abortion since pretty much forever, although that is beginning to change. Interestingly enough, both examples of abortion portrayed in a neutral light (instead of just negative) were both on Netflix shows.
ReplyDeleteSlight spoilers ahead!
In Bojack Horseman, one of the main characters has an abortion. She spends the entirety of the episode grappling with the emotional weight of the decision, and talks to different characters who have varying views (from flippant to terrified) about going through with the abortion. In the end, she makes her decision, and it's shown to be the right choice for her.
Another show, GLOW, ends the season with an abortion. The character who decides to get an abortion is a wrestler, and instead of putting her career on hold, opts to terminate her pregnancy. "Not the right time, not the right baby," she rationalizes, and the procedure is done. It's over, and that's all.