Soap Opera Abortions

[spanglechick]

I think they all had abortions in SATC in their younger years apart from Charlotte and were not particularly traumatised.

In Eastenders they do have to squeeze as much drama as possible out of every situation, especially with 4 episodes a week.

Stacey said she was on the pill, but it hadn't worked. Which is possible but not if she had been taking it correctly.

or had been sick. anyway, no contraception is 100% even if you take it perfectly.

If the pill is taken according to instructions it is over 99% effective. This means that less than 1 woman in 100 will get pregnant in a year.

satc not a soap opera, and it's charcters a long way from teens - so they're less likely to identify, even if they're allowed to stay up and watch it.

 

[miss direct]

or had been sick. anyway, no contraception is 100% even if you take it perfectly.

Yeah there are a number of reasons why women get pregnant while on the pill but if they read the instructions it does explain it all that if you are sick or on other medication that you should use extra precautions for 7 days.

Just think they could have explained that a bit on EE as Stacey just went: "I was on the pill and it didn't work."

I'm not sure what happens in the end re Stacey. She seems to want it while Bradley doesn't and is scared (because of his amazing career), I think they go to a clinic and then don't go through with it.

 

[Looby]

Sorry to be pedantic but didn't Kat have a miscarriage? I may be wrong.

Even though Vickis abortion did upset her family I still think it was a fairly positive experience in that it was the right thing for her and she stood her ground.

As much as it's wrong to coerce someone into an abortion, feeling pressured to keep a child is just as bad.

 

[Looby]

Yeah there are a number of reasons why women get pregnant while on the pill but if they read the instructions it does explain it all that if you are sick or on other medication that you should use extra precautions for 7 days.

Just think they could have explained that a bit on EE as Stacey just went: "I was on the pill and it didn't work."

I'm not sure what happens in the end re Stacey. She seems to want it while Bradley doesn't and is scared (because of his amazing career), I think they go to a clinic and then don't go through with it.

She has the abortion and then regrets it I think.

 

[spanglechick]

Sorry to be pedantic but didn't Kat have a miscarriage? I may be wrong.

Even though Vickis abortion did upset her family I still think it was a fairly positive experience in that it was the right thing for her and she stood her ground.

As much as it's wrong to coerce someone into an abortion, feeling pressured to keep a child is just as bad.

i stand corrected - but there's still no abortion which has been the best thing for everyone - and that would be important for being a role model for kids.

The thing with sharon and pauline is that girls might be put off because they think they'll be upsetting their families. it's all about the dynamics of storylines, i know that - i'd just like teenage girls to have as much exposure to positive stories of abortion as they do the alternatives.

Notwithstanding, I'd much rather they were equpped with the self respect and information not to get pregnant in the first place.

 

[fishfingerer]

Soap Opera Abortions is a fantastic name for a band.

 

[Looby]

i stand corrected - but there's still no abortion which has been the best thing for everyone - and that would be important for being a role model for kids.

The thing with sharon and pauline is that girls might be put off because they think they'll be upsetting their families. it's all about the dynamics of storylines, i know that - i'd just like teenage girls to have as much exposure to positive stories of abortion as they do the alternatives.

Notwithstanding, I'd much rather they were equpped with the self respect and information not to get pregnant in the first place.

I absolutely agree with you.

 

[miss direct]

Vicki had an abortion? I don't remember that.

I thought it was really well done in the end (although I don't know how true to life it was ) and quite sad.

 

[lyra_k]

have been thinking about this and...

what does a "good" abortion experience mean? doesn't it basically mean that you are put back in exactly the position you were in before the accidental pregnancy, free to go on with your life exactly as it was before, with no guilt, no trauma and no baby. Nothing changes except that you aren't pregnant any more. As spanglechick (rightly, I'm sure) pointed out, this is the experience of thousands of women who have abortions IRL.

Perhaps THAT is the problem? Because if you portray teenage motherhood in the most negative and realistic way possible (as mentioned earlier), it is undoubtedly a dramatic, life-changing experience, something that will make you the centre of attention in your family, a fast-track into (scary) adulthood, and a fast track to independence.

Maybe it's not so much that abortion isn't portrayed positively enough, but that it's the drama and the massive changes which having a baby creates that is the attractive thing to some teenage girls.

There's a radio psychologist I hear sometimes who describes teenage or very young motherhood as the "female escape route". She's a bit misogynistic in my view, and I don't like a lot of what she says, but I think there might be some truth in that...that although having a baby in itself is scary and a huge responsibility, when you are a young teen with a so-so education and not too many opportunities ahead of you, it actually seems a lot less scary than the thought of going out and finding your way in the world by yourself.