Abortion advocates have long been calling for more positive portrayals of abortion on television. And with the help of one powerful showrunner, they’ve been getting their wish.
Shonda Rhimes is one of the most successful television showrunners in Hollywood today. She has been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world three times, and her shows are seen by millions upon millions of people. She has her own production company, Shondaland, through which her massively successful shows are produced.
Very often, those shows promote abortion — and they’ve been doing so more frequently.
Who is Shonda Rhimes?
Rhimes’ career began as a writer. Her most well-known early project was the sequel to Disney’s “The Princess Diaries” in 2004 before finding success with “Grey’s Anatomy.” Since then, she has made it a point to be involved in pro-abortion activism.
In 2017, Rhimes joined Planned Parenthood’s national board, claiming, “The fact is that women’s health is under fire right now. And so to me, it feels like it’s important to help fight back.” Though Rhimes does not currently serve on the abortion giant’s board, the corporation still publicly praises her for her efforts to portray abortion positively on screen.
She was also one of numerous showrunners to sign on to a letter demanding “safety protocols” for television shows filmed in pro-life states, saying cast and crew members shouldn’t have to choose between “human rights” — meaning abortion, the intentional and direct killing of humans in the womb — and their employment. And her support for abortion has colored how she runs her shows.
“I feel strongly that abortion should be portrayed on TV — especially on medical shows like ‘Grey’s’ and ‘Private Practice’ — even though it is in direct conflict with my own personal experience,” she told the Huffington Post. “Personally, I would never make the choice to have an abortion, but I would fight for any other woman’s ability to make that choice for herself. That is what choice means. My shows portray the entire spectrum of health. Health includes showing women having agency over their own bodies. And I feel strongly about women’s health and I truly believe in choice. More people should.”
Shondaland and Abortion
Rhimes is known for promoting abortion onscreen, and the abortion industry knows it.
“Nearly all of Shonda’s shows feature a character considering an abortion or actually obtaining an abortion. That’s revolutionary for prime time television,” Steph Herold, who works for Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health’s (ANSIRH), a pro-abortion group, said in an interview for Shondaland. “We know that abortion has always been part of American television, dating back to the earliest days of the medium. Yet the depictions on Shonda’s shows are a critical step forward because they take care to portray abortion not just as a safe and simple medical procedure, but as an experience that can connect people to each other, help people achieve their life goals, or as something a character does and then goes on her way, not thinking about it ever again.”
There are numerous shows in the Shondaland universe. The first, which is still airing, was “Grey’s Anatomy.” The medical drama, which follows surgeons in Seattle, Washington, has included abortion storylines numerous times. In the first season, one of the main characters, Christina Yang, has an unexpected pregnancy and plans to have an abortion; early in the second season, the pregnancy ends up being ectopic, and her fallopian tube ruptures before she can go through with the procedure. Before the medical emergency happens, however, Yang tries to pressure a pregnant mother with breast cancer into having an abortion. Other characters discuss having undergone abortions, and eventually, Yang does have an abortion. When her husband protests, she snaps that he’s “getting all life-y,” and ultimately, he holds her hand through the procedure as their child is killed.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JANUARY 15: In this handout photo provided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Creative Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes accepts the award for Best Television Series Drama for “Grey?s Anatomy” onstage during the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton on January 15, 2007 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Bob Long/HFPA via Getty Images)
Another show, “Private Practice,” is a spinoff show featuring the character Addison Montgomery. Montgomery is one of the characters who talks about having undergone an abortion on “Grey’s Anatomy,” and on “Private Practice,” Montgomery now commits abortions herself. Another “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff, “Station 19,” has also featured abortion, with doctors wearing black scrubs in “protest” of women’s bodies being “held hostage” by the government.
In the show “Scandal,” main character Olivia Pope — a political fixer — first helped a female naval officer get an abortion, before the show portrayed Pope as having one herself. The episode was massively controversial, as it took place at Christmas time, with Pope sipping red wine while “Silent Night” played in the background. That particular episode also included numerous characters shilling for Planned Parenthood, even repeating the corporation’s long-debunked “abortion is only 3% of what we do” claim.
Post-Roe
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in the summer of 2022, Rhimes has ramped up the pro-abortion propaganda. But before the official decision was handed down, a draft opinion was leaked, and Rhimes responded with a pro-abortion PSA telling women to get on birth control and have abortions.
“You’ll need to know as soon as possible if you’re pregnant,” the PSA said. “Every four to five weeks may seem like a lot, but time is of the essence with the law. If you find out you are pregnant and do not want to be, you have very little time. Do not shut down. This will be hard, but you can’t delay. Speak to someone you trust. There are ways to seek care privately, even if you need to leave your state to do it.”
So grateful to have actors that care so much about sharing positive reproductive information during this time. And special thanks to @Bedsider for providing follow up help and information! #knowyouroptions pic.twitter.com/vqf8DNoGaV
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) May 19, 2022
A recent episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” featured a woman being given an abortion, step by step, simply because she suffered from postpartum depression in a previous pregnancy. Rather than offer the woman treatment for depression, abortion was presented as the answer, with doctors on the show congratulating themselves for having “saved that woman’s life.”
“Station 19” also featured abortion in a newer episode, where an OB/GYN was told it was a “no-brainer” for her to commit abortions. (In reality, most OB/GYNs do not commit abortions in their practices, and a majority of those do not even refer for them.)
One of the worst episodes, however, was one of the most recent from “Grey’s Anatomy,” in which pro-lifers were portrayed as violent terrorists — even though FBI Director Christopher Wray stated under oath before Congress that 70% of recent pro-abortion violence has been committed against pro-life advocates.
The episode turned reality on its head, portraying the abortion industry as the victim of abuses like doxxing, acid attacks, fire-bombings, and more. A pregnant doctor was also intentionally hit by a car, ostensibly by a pro-lifer. The show, however, clearly did not point out that these kinds of incidents are most frequently carried out by abortion activists against those who support life in the womb.
Hollywood promised to promote abortion more often through entertainment and media, and they’ve found a champion all too happy to do so in Shonda Rhimes. And, thanks to her multi-million dollar production deal with Netflix, the pro-abortion propaganda is surely going to keep coming.
