Abortion remains one of television's taboo topics, with characters on network shows often discussing, but rarely ending a pregnancy.
When the issue is fleshed out, the participants experience a wide range of emotions and typically consider many aspects, such as where they are morally, spiritually and practically. Sometimes, a miscarriage occurs as a convenient excuse to end the discussion.
There are exceptions, and here are some examples where television has discussed abortion with a pro-life stance:
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1. Mad Men: After an extramarital affair, Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) debates her options, and is shown alone at a clinic seemingly having decided to end her pregnancy. She eventually changes her mind and has the baby. Though technically not a pro-life stance — especially for a show set in the 1960s —
critics wrote in a 2010 article in The Week that Joan's choice was more about furthering a plot than about making a political statement.
2. Friday Night Lights: In a 2010 episode, high-school sophomore Becky Sproles gets pregnant during her first sexual encounter with Luke Cafferty. Sproles ultimately decides she's in no position emotionally or financially — "I can't take care of a baby ... I can't" — and ends the pregnancy.
Issues such as Texas' parental consent laws, waiting periods, counseling sessions and the high costs were shown through those who wanted Sproles to keep the baby, though she ultimately made her own decision.
New York columnist Andy Greenwald called it "the best and most honest portrayal of the heartrending decision to end a teenage pregnancy that we've ever seen."
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3. Degrassi High: This Canadian series followed the fictional lives of students from a Toronto high school. In a 1989 episode, Erica Farrell (Angela Deisach) became pregnant by her first serious boyfriend.
She told only her sister, who went with her to an abortion clinic, where Erica had to navigate her way through an angry group of protesters. For the U.S. airing, the protesters were edited out and it was unclear whether Erica went through with the abortion.
4. Everwood: The show starred Treat Williams as Dr. Andrew Brown, who relocates his family to a small Colorado town after his wife's death. In a 2003 episode, a man asks Brown to end the two-month pregnancy of his 18-year-old daughter (Kate Mara).
Brown asks the woman to wait three days and consider adoption or giving birth, but performs the procedure when she remains steadfast. Conflicted, Brown goes to confession for forgiveness, suggesting his character's pro-life stance on the issue.
5. Six Feet Under: The sometimes out there HBO show had a storyline that featured 17-year-old Claire Fisher (Lauren Ambrose) having an abortion, but includes a dream sequence in which Fisher is visited by her aborted fetus.
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