Four years after Dobbs , television has become more willing to acknowledge the legal and political barriers to abortion care—but too often, it still reinforces harmful myths. While shows like Grey's Anatomy have depicted the devastating consequences of abortion bans, others continue to fall back on …
By Ava SlocumJune 25, 20261 min read
Four years after Dobbs, television has become more willing to acknowledge the legal and political barriers to abortion care—but too often, it still reinforces harmful myths.
While shows like Grey's Anatomy have depicted the devastating consequences of abortion bans, others continue to fall back on familiar tropes. In And Just Like That, the show largely sidesteps abortion as a normal, legitimate choice—especially for an affluent married mother in New York. And recently, the critically acclaimed Margo's Got Money Troubles builds its entire premise around a young woman rejecting abortion despite pressure from those around her.
Those storytelling choices matter. Research shows that accurate abortion storylines can increase public understanding, reduce stigma and even help people feel more confident in their own reproductive healthcare decisions.
Yet television still rarely reflects the reality of abortion today—from the fact that most abortion patients are already parents, to the widespread use of medication abortion.
In an era of widespread confusion and misinformation, TV has the power to inform millions of viewers, but only if it moves beyond outdated narratives and portrays abortion as the ordinary healthcare decision it is for so many people.
