ABSTRACT
Abortion is one of the most commonly performed medical procedures, but when was the last time you saw someone on TV have the procedure? Although there are over 1.3 million abortions ever year in the United States, abortion is rarely depicted in mainstream television. Whereas a decided majority of the US population is pro-choice, television content appears to represent the voice of the pro-life constituency. Even with the growth of cable programming, which flaunts the rejection of conservative network standards related to language, violence, and sexuality, abortion continues to be too controversial to present in any substantial way. Despite “politically correct” attempts to pay lip service to supporting a woman’s right to choose, main female characters rarely go through with an abortion.
