More TV shows had abortion-related plotlines or mentions than any previous year studied, as well as more depictions of barriers to abortion access, according to a report published Thursday.
There were at least 60 abortion plotlines or mentions in 52 distinct TV shows from January to December 2022, more than any other year since 2016, when Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health started putting out its annual “Abortion Onscreen” report. That outnumbers the 47 abortion plotlines in 42 shows in 2021.
ANSIRH is a program within University of California, San Francisco’s Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health.
Among the TV shows highlighted in the report were “Life after Lockup,” which followed a character as she traveled across state lines for an abortion due to restrictions in Georgia; the Netflix reality show “Love is Blind,” which includes a conversation between two contestants about their views on abortion; and medical dramas like “Grey’s Anatomy” which show characters “reckoning with a post-Roe landscape.”
“I didn’t expect that television would already be responding to the abortion access crisis we’re in,” said Steph Herold, an ANSIRH researcher with the “Abortion Onscreen” team. “It’s pretty monumental compared to depictions in the past.”
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TV shows depict barriers to abortion access
In what the report calls “a historic first,” one-third, or at least 20, abortion plotlines on TV portrayed barriers to access in 2021, up from only two portrayals the year before.
Many of these plotlines also include discussions of compounding barriers, including characters traveling across state lines for abortion care while raising money for travel costs, negotiating time off work and arranging for childcare, according to the report.
“Research shows us that TV and film help people make sense of the world,” Herold said. “The general public knows very little about abortion … so these shows can go a long way in helping people understand barriers to abortion access today.”
This year also saw TV’s first representation of an abortion fund volunteer, the report said.
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Misrepresentations of abortion on TV
The report said TV shows misrepresented abortion care and access in the following ways:
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Whitewashing: Most people seeking abortion care on-screen were middle class and wealthy white women, the report says. That “misrepresents who is most impacted by abortion restrictions,” including people of color and people with low incomes. Only eight plotlines, or 23%, included Black characters obtaining or disclosing past abortions. “It really whitewashes the issue and allows storytellers to get away with not showing how abortion access intersects with race, class and gender,” Herold said.
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Minimizing medication abortions: Only 6% of TV characters had medication abortions, even though medication abortions make up more than half of all abortions in the United States.
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Depicting ‘exceptional’ scenarios: TV dramas, including Grey’s Anatomy, highlight “‘exceptional’ instances in which abortions may occur, such as ectopic pregnancies and fetal anomalies, instead of more typical abortion circumstances, such as a parent struggling to make ends meet,” the report said.
Contact Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Abortion Onscreen report: TV showed more stories of abortion on-screen
