The anti-choiceness is just dripping off of ABC's new space-drama Defying Gravity. (So disappointing, because I was stoked about having another SciFi-ish show to watch in addition to the new V.)
Defying Gravity is set in 2052, when it seems abortion - and even pregnancy tests - are illegal. Also in this future world, astronauts are super hot twenty-somethings who fuck a lot and everything else looks pretty much the same as 2009. So yeah, I'll try to take it with a grain of salt. But shit like this just irritates me:
You see, this character got an abortion. As punishment, she will hear a crying baby for the remainder of this episode. Her colleague - presented as the hardened woman who advises her to get an illegal abortion - is later shown as a bunny murderer in the second episode. (Well, sort of.) But wait! More crying baby scenes, please!
Okay, on to the feminist bunny-murderer. (She's actually performing tests on rabbit embryos, but that's crazy babykiller talk!)
So yeah, you see where I'm going here.
What is it with abortion and television? The only TV show I can recall watching that even had a character obtain an abortion was Third Watch, in which a cop who has a recovering alcoholic husband, two kids and financial woes decides to terminate her pregnancy. I remember liking it because it was matter-of-fact, and the character makes a decision she knows is best for her family, and isn't punished after the fact for it. (Like by ghost-baby cries, for example.)
The fact is, one-third of women in the U.S. will have an abortion. And they won't hear crying babies, or fly into murderous rages, or have mental breakdowns, or conveniently get a miscarriage when they make the "right" decision not to abort. (These are all storylines from actual TV shows and movies, by the way.) Would it really be so hard to have a show accurately depict abortion and women's decisions surrounding it? Well, maybe in 2052.
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I watched the show and enjoyed the premise, but I think the writers/producers just stuck in the "Abortion is Illegal!" without really thinking about the societal consequences.
If abortion was *really* illegal in the world of Defying Gravity, I would think that vasectomies would be as well. That there would be no shared locker rooms with men and women in them. There would be no women astronauts!
They didn't seem to take into account what it would take for abortion to be made illegal in this country. If abortion were illegal, I really don't see that there would be an international, government sponsored space program, because the rabid right hates space exploration almost as much as they hate women.
So, I believe that the creators really didn't think this through. I'm going to keep watching, because anything genre and non-reality needs to be supported!
I heard that. I can't imagine any society in which both abortion and PREGNANCY TESTS are illegal that allows women to work as astronauts. They definitely did not think this through after they finished patting themselves on the back for thinking up their "controversial" concept.
Oh the shame! Oh the tragedy of abortion! Let's punish women for being ambitious, please.
I wouldn't expect anything overly open-minded from Defying Gravity. According to the producers (from TV Guide's fall SF preview):
"But 'Gravity' is not just a guy's sci-fi kind of thing," [producer James Parriott] hastens to add. "It's about romance and very complex people with complex issues." ... Rather than a problem of the week, themes will include loneliness, friendship and loss.
Because, you know, "guy's sci-fi" NEVER deals with loneliness, friendship and loss.
It's not just television. I seriously want to print up bumperstickers that read "THIS MOVIE NEEDS MORE ABORTION" and slap it over the movie posters for any movie that shows a woman pregnant under fucked up circumstances who "decides" despite all reasonable arguments, to "keep her baby." Not just movies like Knocked Up and Juno, but even Hellboy 2.
I remember a few decades ago, I was watching some crappy TV thriller about aliens who came to earth in some little bedroom community and replaced all the husbands so they could knock up the wives of the town and "perpetuate their race." The protagonist wife finds this out (already pregnant) and when she's in her final showdown with her replicant husband (who we've established is monstrous), he points out that she's already carrying his child, etc, etc, and she responds with something to the tune of "did you ever hear of an abortion?" So I totally did a double-take because I was thinking "woah, are they really going to have the huevos to go there?" And of course, after the alien is defeated and she regains her husband, they cut to the two of them in the maternity ward, lovingly cradling their red-eyed baby. I think that was my first "WTF TV" moment... that they couldn't even have a woman aborting her monster baby because... well... because! WOOBIE!
ROTFL. But hybrid red monkey demon babies from immature superheroes are a gold standard in the sci-fi genre. To be fair, female characters in sci-fi probably never get logical abortions because the only thing more interesting than an alien is an unpredictable half-alien.
It doesn't seem like the rationale for an abortion ban is a particularly pro-life/religious one, given the various inconsistencies with vasectomies and embryo research. I'll be interested to hear how they justify it.
[spoiler] I kind of think that the baby crying has something to do with whatever is on the ship that nobody knows about yet. And if not, I don't necessarily think it's punishment--she might just feel anxiety about being caught breaking the law and getting removed from the space program, even if she feels she did nothing wrong. I didn't get the sense that her feelings on the matter are entirely clear.
Also, isn't it some kind of progress that we have a female character who advises her friend to have an abortion in order to further her career? I don't think that the woman is portrayed negatively, even with the other 'naut telling her she's "killing her babies." There's a very touching scene where she talks about wanting kids with her husband. But that's obviously not so much of a priority that she didn't sign up for six years in space. A female character who knows what she wants and goes after it: kind of sure something bad's going to happen to her.
Claire on Six Feet Under got an abortion. And while she was not particularly broken up about it (save the overall omgpregnantwtfomg that I think is natural when you're 18), it did come back to bite her on the ass when the father had a hissy and then she kept hallucinating her baby. So it was a very 'yay' at first thing, but then it let down in the long run.
Interestingly, there was a pilot called Virtuality that was on Fox a couple months ago (it didn't get picked up, which I though was unfortunate) that sounds like a very similar premise. Abortion isn't illegal, but one of the female characters had to decide to get an abortion so she could sign onto the very long term mission. The show used virtual reality to give the characters a life outside the close confines of the ship and the constant monitoring, and the character who had the abortion had an elaborate fantasy going where she continued the pregnancy. What made that interesting is that the character had basically been forced to give up her fertility entirely for the sake of her career, which I could actually understand being a wrenching decision to have to make.
(Oh, and the show had an actual gay male couple, which as we all know is nigh unheard of.)
As a lifelong sci fi fan, I am so damn offended that they got their Grey's Anatomy in my science fiction. No thank you!
I'd forgotten about Claire hallucinating about the baby, but my memory of that show was mostly positive. She didn't want to be a mother and so she very nonchalantly got an abortion.
That the father flipped out to me was fine (it *was* a drama series). The only other movie I can think of with an equally nonchalant view of a character's abortion is "High Fidelity." And while Rob admitted he also "flipped out" he also says that it was a much a pose as anything.
But it wasn't nightmarish hallucinations or anything, right -- IIRC (and it's been a couple of years), she dreams she's surrounded by all the people she knows who have died and they're all happy and playing in a cemetery. And she sees her dead sister-in-law who says she's taking care of the baby and he's happy. Am I misremembering?
I mean, if the show is going to be premised on the fact that the dead have a spirit that exists in some other plane and isn't immediately reincarnated, it only follows that the fetus she aborted would have one too. I think that's not an entirely anti-woman or even anti-abortion portrayal of what a woman might feel post-abortion. I can only surmise that a lot of women who have had abortions find comfort in thinking that if their baby had a spirit, it is at peace someplace else.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with the idea that people have spirits at all is something else entirely, but working within the lexicon of the show, living with the very maternal sister-in-law is pretty much the best possible outcome.
Additionally, dads freak out in real life too.
I guess I feel like an abortion (or a pregnancy, or a car accident, or whatever other not-everyday occurrence) will only ever be added into a show to create conflict and progress the plot, so it would be pretty pointless for a show to be like "and then she discovered she was pregnant and had an abortion, the end!" There's got to be a rub someplace.
I agree - I found Claire's pregnancy/abortion story to feel pretty real - she found out she was pregnant right after she broke up with her boyfriend (as I recall), and her sister-in-law was missing. Russell was upset, and Claire was annoyed by his being upset, she admitted that she was upset, and he said something like "Then allow me to feel sad and fucked up about this for one minute!". The women that I know in real life who have had abortions don't regret them at all, but they do say that it was upsetting/they felt sad, and that it was a difficult decision even when they knew it was the best thing to do. She also hallucinated seeing Ruth (her mom) while she was having the procedure, and Ruth gave her a reassuring smile and said she was going to be okay. I thought it was a really nice moment.
Heh. I've heard a few geeks refer to Defying Gravity as "Gray's Astronomy".
There are several issues with this show, which is a shame because the overall premise is unique and wonderful. Yes, the phantom fetus is creepy, and yes, it's great her friend, a fellow female character, is strong, pro-choice, and know what she wants. The way some of the other characters interact with the token Asian character, AJ, is somewhat disturbing to me. The way they guess and wonder about his religion and culture without doing any actually research is a perfect example of the ignorant white person not wanting to bother themselves with "the other."
Yeah, that was what bothered ME the most, the whole racial makeup of the show. Like the fact (in the show) that "Americans" are almost universally white still. For instance, why couldn't AJ have been American (and gone without the poorly feigned accent)? It's like they thought they were so awesome for having one guy who was different that they totally went overboard with him.
As for the crying baby thing, do we actually know that she got an abortion? I didn't think they ever really clarified that, so while it definitely bothered me, I am willing to wait a few episodes to see what exactly they are getting at.
Don't forget Maude! That was probably one of the best moments in television!
Courtroom Mama:
I was just about to chime in with that one. Thank you! :)
And so controversial never (ok, rarely) to be attempted again!
I watched the show and I think the criticism is ridiculous. Everything in life can't be about carrying the flag. Lighten. dead babies coming back in a sci fi staple. If you are secure in your convictions you don't chaff at everyone else's.
"Dead babies coming back" also seems to be a staple of any goddamn show where a character gets an abortion, though.
*yawn*
Time for something new, and maybe a little more realistic. Just because it's sci-fi doesn't mean they have to do the same damn thing every time, nor does it mean that people don't have similar reactions than they would in reality.
No actual woman I know who has had an abortion has hallucinated crying babies. But the crying baby tape is a staple of anti-choicers. I heard it on a Mancow show once, for instance. And I think it's ridiculous.
If you're not looking for critical social commentary from a feminist stance, *why* are you reading this site? We don't have to "lighten". You're free to go read celebrity gossip sites or something if you don't like feminist critique.
Private Practice had an abortion episode. Given the typical structure of their medical ethics plots, they had both pro-choice and pro-life characters voicing their opinions. Both Addison and Violet very matter-of-factly announced they had had abortions that they didn't regret (I think Violet said she'd had 2), and Addison said that no woman should have to be ashamed or scared while having one. Some people complained that Naomi treated abortion like a tragedy, but given the show's MO to always have conflict between the doctors over the episode's medical ethics problem of the week, it made sense. In the end, the patient who came in seeking an abortion did have one, and Dell was shamed for shaming her (he examined his personal feelings that made him anti-choice and eventually determined that he was wrong).
Regarding Defying Gravity, I heard that it only has 2 stars on IMDB and had dismal ratings, so it sounds like almost no one watched it and those who did disliked it. I wonder if everyone who rated it so low felt like it was as ridiculous as you did, Jessica.
I just wanted to add that House had an episode concerning abortion which I though was handled very well.
The plot concerned a woman who approaches Dr. House for counseling after becoming pregnant due to being raped. She is conflicted about whether or not to get an abortion even though she doesn't want to have a baby. She and House talk at length about religion, morals and ethics. In the end she decides that abortion is the right choice for her. I was really worried about how the show would approach the subject because of the usual bad handling of abortion on TV, but in the end I found the episode to be well written and thought out.
Defying Gravity will NOT be on my to-watch list. As a Sci-Fi fan it really gets me down when the premise of a new show is so bland (Young hot people have Sex in Space!!). Relationships and affairs are not half as interesting to me as character development through life experiences. Then again, I don't like Gray's Anatomy either!
Oh, I have to hella disagree with you on the way that the episode of House handled both the abortion and the sexual assault.
First of all, House did everything he could to bully the young woman into having an abortion. I'm pro-choice, which includes the choice to have a baby, even if it's a result of rape.
Furthermore, it was so unrealistic. The victim begins clinging to House despite the fact that he's bullying, antagonistic, and belittling about her and her experiences (he claimed that she was figuratively RAPING him by forcing him to listen to her talk). Barf.
I love House, but this was BY FAR my least favorite episode.
I remember ranting for hours after that episode. It was quite poorly done, IMO.
To ElleStar,
Interesting that we had such different interpretations! I agree that Dr. House was probably not the best person to handle the situation, but I saw his harsh language as more a result of his personality (he's always bullying, antagonistic and belittling pretty much everyone) then the politics of the show.
Unfortunately I must admit that I watched the episode quite a while ago so I didn't remember the comment comparing their conversation to rape. I do think that is an insulting comparison and should not have been said.
As for the unrealistic plot, I agree that someone wanting to be counseled by House about ANYTHING is pretty unrealistic. When I watched it, I concluded that the reason this woman in particular was clinging to house despite his repeated attempts to drive her away, was that she wanted him to convince her of his position. Maybe I'm remembering the ending wrong, but I thought that after she makes the choice to abort she seemed much more at ease.
Anyway, it wasn't my favorite episode either, and I can see how it could easily offend. But for some reason I didn't mind it *shrug*
I've seen precious few episodes of House, but one of the few I did sit through involved some 12 year old on a swimteam who came down with a mysterious illness and it turned out she was pregnant and had some medical condition that made her allergic to the fetus or something, so she was given an abortion and that solved matters.
America sucks! Canada got to see teenage abortion in Degrassi High in the early 90's. But those same episodes were censored in the states. The episode even had the teenage girl fighting through abortion protests to get to the clinic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degrassi_High#Censorship
Degrassi: The Next Generation also had an abortion episode with Manny, after she is impregnated by Craig. Although it was her choice, it was done more of a preventative method so she wouldn't get kicked out by her parents.
If I remember correctly, even the Degrassi: TNG episodes with Manny were censored in the States at first (they show the reruns now, I think).
If I remember correctly, even the Degrassi: TNG episodes with Manny were censored in the States at first (they show the reruns now, I think).
a) I'm sick to death of the hot-young-people-have-sex but abortions + BC are BAD! dichotomy on TV, so this show looks like shit to me.
b) I'd love to see a show where a woman has an abortion and DOESN'T regret it/have bad feelings/guilt about it. Seriously, people are not monsters for wanting to plan a pregnancy. Sheesh.
The portrayal of abortion on TV totally gets me! After "Saved!" and then "Juno", I was trying really hard to think of examples in film and TV of abortion being portrayed in an empowering, or at least neutral, light.
The best example I have come up with is Claire on HBO's Six Feet Under. The episode is done masterfully, and we are able to feel Claire's pain without judging her. Later episodes are also absent of any judgment.
I wish there were more empowering examples out there, but it seems like having a baby is an easier plot line?
Some ten years ago, one of the networks did a short-lived series called "Mercy Point", set in a hospital that was a space station. The pilot episode didn't deal directly with abortion, but one of the plots was about the complete all-eclipsing importance of the fetus. Here's a revised version of what I wrote for it at the time:
A woman is brought into the emergency ward in serious crisis -- on the edge of death. Her husband has no idea what could be wrong. The MD looks at the holographic projection of her internal organs, and demands, "Why didn't you tell us your wife's four months pregnant?" Husband's baffled stammer: "I-I didn't know!"
Turns out this woman had told, by several doctors, that her health condition would make it difficult and *extremely* risky for her to become pregnant; she and her husband had agreed not to have kids, for the sake of her health. So, wanting a baybee SOOOOOO much, she lied to him and sabotaged her own birth control behind his back. (This was never presented as anything but a normal and healthy and understandable thing to do.)
The doctors manage to stabilize her condition, but she's still very fragile. When her system rebels again, they decide -- since terminating the pregnancy is never even considered -- that there's no option but to remove the fetus and place it in an "artificial womb."
This scene is set in a gravity-adjustable operating room. No one is present except for the pregnant woman and two doctors -- two female doctors. No other medical staff except the ship's computer. They open her up and remove -- remember, she's four months pregnant -- what looks like at least a six-month fetus (some fourteen inches long). They carefully place it in the "artificial uterus", a blobby and very organic-looking reddish object with translucent walls, so the fetus can be seen from outside. (I had a vague impression that this had something to do with bonding.) They get it all tucked in and squared away and zip up the opening.
And ONLY THEN do they notice that the woman's condition has deteriorated sharply -- that in fact she's at the point of death.
Because NO ONE WAS ATTENDING TO HER. I remember being absolutely certain that this was why the writers had chosen two women doctors for the scene: so they could "legitimately" be shown as baby-obsessed, cooing over this unripe, less-than-half-gestated fetus while forgetting the existence of their BORN and LIVING patient.
(Happy ending, of course; fade out on the couple curled up in bed together, gazing adoringly at their baby-in-a-bottle.)
If they have artificial wombs, why did the situation even arise in the first place?
That's the level of logic this show was operating at. How Joe Morton (at the time still a charter member of what I think of as the John Sayles Traveling Cinematic Repertory Company) got involved with such a piece of crap I never figured out.
One thing I would like to point, about Defying Gravity, is that the women in question had the abortion 5 years before she got on the ship. 5 years in which she didn't hallucinate, didn't have any strong moral issues or regrets (at least as far as we've seen)didn't have any huge problems with it. These things didn't happen until she got on the ship doing the Grand Tour. A ship that has a mysterious, but sentient, something in Pod 4 that no one's talking about. It isn't a moral judgment, it's a plot device. I suspect as the series continues we'll learn more about the society and why certain decisions were made.
My theory is there's a telepathic alien in Pod 4 that's screwing with her head. Weirder things have happened in sci-fi shows.
I haven't read all these, so I apologize if I repeat this.
Lulu Spencer on General Hospital had a abortion and even years later it still gets mentioned occasionally. Not that soap operas are bastians of feminism or anything, but ABC generally takes of so called controversial issues in a positive manner, at least in daytime tv. I'm surprised and extremely disappointed to hear about this from a network that has done better in the past [One Life to Live featured a gay man with HIV, General Hospital has had 2 straight characters living and dying with HIV/AIDS and All mY Children has a lebian character. All of these have been handled positively and in a sensitive manner].
Hi Feministing,
Those of us outside the US can't view the clips you posted. This seems to happen a bit. Is it possible to source your clips from another site, so that those of us outside the US can view them as well?
Damn Hulu for hating the rest of the world.
Wouldn't crying baby sounds make some women glad they had abortions? Crying babies can be kind of annoying.
Have to confess to having really enjoyed the show. I'm curious about the whole abortion/baby crying thing because it isn't resolved yet--I think too many people are leaping to conclusions about where the plot is going.
All we know at this point is that Zoe had a positive pregnancy test (five years or so ago) and that Jen supported her by offering information about someone who could help her deal with that whether it was legal or not. Jen thought the law was stupid and Zoe was still in a fog from finding out she was pregnant.
IMO the show's trying to get us to think about it and there are several possibilities for what happened between then and now. We've been shown one tortured alcoholic doctor who probably overheard their original convo at the bar (Evram--the ship's doctor--Eyal Podell) and his girl friend at Mission Control is also a surgeon. I suspect that we'll find out that one of them helped her deal with her problem...
I actually spoke with some friends about abortion on television a few weeks ago and we tried to make a list of all the shows we remembered with abortions. The only one I can think of where the girl actually GETS an abortion during the time of the show is the british show Skins, and she's shown to regret it because the boy she got pregnant with ends up dying. Then Jordan on Scrubs referenced a past abortion with no regret, there's the episode of Sex and the City where the girls talk about abortion with some regret for Carrie but none for Samantha, and other than that, no one gets abortions in television. Oh wait except for that episode of Battlestar Gallactica where they ban abortions because it's completely necessary to save the human race because there aer only 50,000 people left, but the president doesn't punish the doctor who'd been doing them because they weren't illegal at the time.