Television this year featured at least 67 abortion plotlines, the highest number recorded since we started tracking plotlines yearly in 2016. For the first time, characters of color, when grouped together, represent a higher percentage of fictional abortion seekers than white characters. Still, the vast majority of characters did not reflect the demographics of today’s abortion patients, particularly related to class and parenting status. In a notable increase from last year, about one third of plotlines depicted political or logistical barriers to abortion access, including the prohibitive cost of care.
Key Findings
Implications
This year, television viewers tuned in for a wide range of abortion storyline depictions, with a record number of abortion storylines featuring characters of color. Many television shows referenced the ongoing political and cultural fallout from the Dobbs decision, even using humor to poke fun at abortion restrictions. Missing from this year’s plotlines were characters parenting at the time of their abortions, characters struggling to make ends meet, in-depth portrayals of medication abortion, and any mention of self-managed abortion. Several troubling themes emerged, including the high prevalence of coerced abortions and the return of “false pregnancy” and “averted abortion” storylines that mention but ultimately avoid portraying characters obtaining abortions.
The researchers write:
“Given the tumultuous abortion access policy environment, we expect entertainment content creators to continue to find creative ways to use their platform to tell stories about abortion providers, patients, and the landscape as a whole."
For more, read the report Abortion Onscreen in 2024 from our Abortion Onscreen project.