ABC’s “Scandal” tackled a character’s surprise pregnancy with a surprise abortion while they slammed anti-choice extremists and the GOPs efforts to defund Planned Parenthood in the process in its fall finale titled, “Baby, it’s Cold Outside.”
Strong emotions, such as those provoked by a surprise, help solidify memories, according to Psychology Today, and the “Scandal” episode certainly provoked strong emotions when “Olivia,” played by Kerry Washington, chose end her surprise pregnancy with an abortion.
Abortion Scandal And Aftermath
Scott Foley, who plays “Jake Ballard,” said that Scandal’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, “likes to shake things up,” according to TVLine. This episode did just that.
When the actors read through the scripts, Foley said, they fell just as silent as Olivia was in the abortion scene, but all were “proud” of their work.
#IStandWithMellie #IStandWithPlannedParenthood
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) November 20, 2015
Fans didn’t even know Olivia was pregnant. There was no pregnancy talk, or “what should I do,” moments for the cast to give away, and they kept the secret until the very moment Olivia had her feet in the stirrups, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Scores of anti-choice extremists’ heads exploded because of, “Hollywood’s moral failings on full display” during the episode, according to Media Research Center.
MRC, a conservative anti-fact, propaganda machine media outlet, and its loyal anti-choice, anti-liberal readers believe that the on-air abortion scandal will ruin the show. Many viewers took to social media to announce that they would no longer watch their “favorite” show.
Lucky for “Scandal” that just over 50 percent of Americans fall on the pro-choice side of the abortion issue, according to Gallup. The same poll found that more people identify as pro-choice now than ever, and only 44 percent identify as “pro-life,” according to Politifact.
Pro-choice “Scandal” fans praised the show and its actors for having the courage to cover an issue as politicized as abortion, and putting it in the national prime time spotlight.
Scandal Slams The GOP’s War on Women
Not the first show to address abortion and its surrounding issues, according to Time, it is the first to depict a main character getting an abortion, and not getting killed in the aftermath.
Abortion has been addressed previously, but characters rarely “choose” the procedure, said Eric Ferrero, VP of Communications for Planned Parenthood according to RH Reality Check. Characters either miscarry, change their minds, or get killed off the show if they have an abortion, he says.
Thank you @shondarhimes for bringing this incredibly important issue to the bajillion people watching. #Scandal
— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) November 20, 2015
Rhimes, who also created “Greys Anatomy,” which also dealt with abortion issues, said in 2014, according to Time that abortion “should be discussed,” and that television, which has an immense ability to bring attention to such issues, “has an obligation to not ignore it.”
Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said of the “Scandal” episode:
“Tonight, the millions of people who tune into Scandal every Thursday night learned that our rights to reproductive health care are under attack.”
The “Scandal” episode was the first to air the GOP’s dirty laundry regarding their war on women and the most recent efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.
“Mellie Grant,” the Republican senator played by Bellamy Young, filibustered a bill that real life Republicans wouldn’t be caught dead filibustering.
Ironically, the filibuster stopped the bill from destroying PP in the show, and Grant declared afterwards that:
“All of you who stuck with me to the bitter end should be proud because of your sacrifice, millions of women across this nation get to enjoy their holidays without having to worry if they will have access to proper care in the coming year.”
EVERYTHING YOU HEAR ME SAY 2NT IN THIS FILIBUSTER IS TRUE.
From the @PPact info to the crazy wasteful budget items. #Pork #Shameful
— Bellamy Young (@BellamyYoung) November 20, 2015
The scandalous abortion episode snagged decent ratings for “Scandal,” but ratings grab aside, the episode tackled the war on women, and the very real danger that is the anti-choice, anti-women GOP and their stop-at-nothing efforts to skirt the constitution to take away women’s right to have a legal, safe abortion.
GOP lawmakers’ extreme decisions made in the name of “women’s health” only hurt women, which is why airing their dirty laundry must continue, as often as possible.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jmvOipKToY&w=560&h=315]
Featured Image: Screenshot by JC Torpey Via Youtube.com.
