"Storylines about abortion and conversations about it showed up on television 65 times this year, on prestigious dramas like The Pitt and Call the Midwife, on reality shows such as W.A.G.s to Riches and Love is Blind and on lowbrow animated comedies like Family Guy and South Park. That's about the same as last year. In 2024, TV shows featured 66 such plotlines."
""I think there still is a lot of stigma, even in allegedly liberal Hollywood," says researcher Steph Herold. She says the report, which has come out for about a decade, reflects a profound lack of accurate representation of abortion use in America. For example, she points to research showing that about 60% of real life Americans who seek an abortion deal with some sort of barrier."
Storylines about abortion and conversations appeared on television 65 times in 2025, nearly unchanged from 66 in 2024. The share of characters who obtained abortions fell to 37% in 2025, a 14% decline since 2023. Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at the University of California San Francisco compiled the data. Researchers note persistent stigma in Hollywood and inaccurate representations of abortion use. About 60% of real-life Americans who seek abortions face barriers, while only about a third of on-screen characters encounter barriers. Television stories mostly depict legal obstacles and disproportionately portray upper- or middle-class characters, masking poverty-related access issues.
Read at www.npr.org
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