Selfish, Vengeful, and Full of Spite: Representations of Women Who Have Abortions on Turkish Television

This article analyzes the portrayal of women who have abortions in four recent television series, Gu¨mu¨s¸, As¸k-ı Memnu, Hanımın C¸iftlig˘i and O¨yle Bir Gecer Zaman ki, all of

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which aired between 2005 and 2011. It is clear from the varying storylines of these melodramas that it is women who do not conform to the gender expectations of family and home before all else-women who have sex outside of marriage, women who prioritize career over marriage and family, women who scheme and connive, women who seek revenge for the wrongs they have suffered, and women who are selfish and think of themselves first-that have abortions. These women are often countered by other female characters who are portrayed as loving and self-sacrificing, placing others, particularly their families, before their own desires. In short, women who have abortions are selfish, vengeful, and often full of spite.