Abortion, pro-life, pro-choice; reproductive rights is a
controversial topic that has been debated for centuries. The actual practice of
abortion has been practiced for thousands of years. However, as governments
have become more complex and integral components of societies, the right for a
woman to choose what she does with her own body has been dismissed by
male-centered hegemony among popular culture. Hegemony is the power or dominance
that one group holds over another; often socially, economically, culturally,
educationally, and religiously (Lull 39). However, with the rise of technology
in the last century, ideological hegemony particularly through media has become
perhaps the most powerful method of hegemony yet because it shapes people’s
belief system or framework of perception. The reality is, as Stuart Hall
states, we have to ‘speak through’ the ideologies which are active in our
society and which provide us with the means of ‘making sense’ of social relations
and our place in them (105). [Ideologies] are the framework through which we “formulate
our intentions” (104), and media is the medium through which we formulate our ideologies.
This is because as Douglas Kellner states, “Media stories provide the symbols,
myths, and resources through which we constitute a common culture and through
the appropriation of which we insert ourselves into this culture” (7). Consequently,
those who are in economic power also have access to the most powerful engine of
ideological narrative in our current society: media. As a result, those in
power are able to introduce elements into individual consciousness and
popularize the desired philosophy, culture, or morality (Lull 40). This is what
is happening regarding women and the clash for reproductive rights in our
current society. The primary hegemonic narratives that popular media are
perpetuating today are that abortion is a shameful act and that choosing to
have the baby is not only the right decision but will lead to the most
happiness. In this essay, I am going to be analyzing how film and TV shows are
perpetuating this narrative.
The first film I am going to be analyzing is
“Knocked Up.” “Knocked Up,” is a drama film made in 2007 about an average, unemployed
man in his twenties named Ben meets a responsible, driven, and successful journalist
named Alison and end up having an unplanned pregnancy together following a
“mistake.” The two end up having sex on a one night stand really without getting
to know each other and Alison discovers she is pregnant 8 weeks later. After
arbitrarily deciding that she will keep the baby, the rest of the movie tells
an oversimplified and comedic story of how Alison and Ben struggle in reconciling
their differences but eventually become parents that live happily ever after. This
movie leaves out three important pieces in portraying the experiences a couple goes
through during an unplanned pregnancy, not to mention the fact that the two
characters hardly know each other and have nothing in common.
Firstly, it highly oversimplifies the rising action of
Alison, as an on-track, successful journalist, discovering she is pregnant; not
to mention Ben, who smokes weed on his free time, is a man who has no financial
or professional assets going for him whatsoever. After the discovery of
Alison’s pregnancy, the two are seen only briefly having a panic attack and not
showing the emotional dissention that is surely to have followed in both of their
minds for several days thereafter. This completely downplays the highly
emotional nature of the decision regarding whether or not to keep the baby and
dismisses the deeply reflective personal processing that should be encouraged
for the father and mother figure. Instead, the two characters are merely seen
briefly discussing the pregnancy with each of their parents. The parents give
short, unempathetic, shallow responses and Alison is seen calling Ben only
moments after arbitrarily deciding to keep the baby. This communicates the message
that an unplanned pregnancy is not nearly as emotionally challenging as it
really is and that deciding to become a parent is a quick, simple, and rather
unstressful process.
Secondly, this movie subtly shames the act of abortion and
presents it to be a non-option. In one scene, Ben’s friends are caught using
the words “A-word,” and “shmishmortion,” to refer to abortion. In addition to
Alison’s arbitrary decision in keeping the baby, this scene communicates to the
audience that not only should abortion be a non-option, it is a crime and the
resulting criminal should be ashamed and condemned. This reinforces the often
portrayed hegemonic narrative by media that women should be ashamed for
choosing and/or supporting abortion as a decision for the future of their
family. Abortion is portrayed as a crime and thus unspeakable.
Thirdly, the father figure in this movie is depicted as a
wholly supportive, almost utopic man, who despite not having a job (or any
financial asset for that matter), lacking all forms of chemistry/common grounds
with Alison, and incapable of taking care of himself, is shown to commit to
fatherhood and loving Alison as his new girlfriend. Not only is this an
unrealistic response given the scenario, it is an inaccurate portrayal of how
men really respond a majority of the time when their partner has an unplanned
pregnancy. According to Teen Sex and Pregnancy Facts, the majority of
boyfriends leave when their girlfriend has a baby (AGI 1999). In conclusion, despite
presenting the timing of an unplanned pregnancy in a realistic way, Knocked Up oversimplifies
the emotional intensity of discovering an unplanned pregnancy, downplays the
strenuous and challenging reflecting time that couples should go through,
subliminally shames abortion – implying it to be a non-option, and presents an
inaccurate response by the father. These messages in conjunction present
abortion to be a non-option and becoming a parent to be a stress-free,
wonderful process where the father is carefree and supportive. It reinforces
the hegemonic narrative that having the baby is always the right decision and
that the relationship will lead to a life happily ever after.
Episode 2 of Season 1 of “It’s
Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” presents little bit of hegemonic narrative, but
primarily counter hegemonic narrative regarding abortion. During an abortion
rally that Charlie’s friend Mac is at, there are crowds of people chanting
“Murderer!” to doctors and women walking into an abortion clinic. Mac and his
new girlfriend, who is an avid pro-life believer and supporter scream, “You
guys are going to burn in hell!” “Abortion is murder, it’s a child not a
choice!” and “Pro-choice is pro-death!” Though exaggerated, these are the exact
outcries of many pro-life supporters. Unfortunately, in the scene presented in
this show and in many of the rallies in our nation, the civility: the mutual
respect in discourse that Deana Rohlinger describes is completely absent (130).
On the flip side, unlike Knocked Up, there is a scene in this TV that portrays
the real, vulnerable, and personal nature of having an unplanned pregnancy. Mac
becomes increasingly infatuated with his new girlfriend Megan, and had even
gone as far as to lying about his passion for the pro-life movement in order to
win her heart. Meg, becoming suspicious, tests Mac by telling him she is
pregnant. Appalled, Mac replies, “You gotta get an abortion… our situation is
different.” This scene depicts a very raw and real emotional experience that
most people go through. It is very realistic and relates with the audience by
being highly vulnerable and communicates lack of preparation/readiness (which
is the primary reason most people have abortions) by relating to the audience
on a very personal level. It’s easy to sit and judge people’s decisions from
the outside, until one is actually put in the same circumstance themselves. Most
women with unplanned pregnancies don’t consider abortion because they
necessarily believe that its truly nothing more than cells or have no guilt
about the decision whatsoever, it is because they genuinely don’t believe that
they are financially and/or emotionally capable in bringing up a child. A study
in 2004, by the Guttmacher Institute revealed that out of 957 women surveyed,
48% made up women who chose to abort their baby because of personal, emotional,
or financial reasons (U.S Abortion Statistics). Despite being a comedy, “It’s
Always Sunny in Philadelphia” presents a surprisingly counter-hegemonic
narrative by revealing a raw, personal clip of what it is like on the inside of
an unplanned pregnancy. It shows how vulnerable of a place it can be by hinting
at the financial, relational, and professional stresses that is real for a lot
of unexpecting parents, and that abortion is not as bad of an option as most
media play it out to be – in fact it can be the right decision given the right
circumstances.
Finally, I will analyze “Trapped,” a documentary released in
2016 that presents the insides of an abortion clinic and what men and women,
staff and doctors who support women’s reproductive rights experience. The
documentary begins by highlighting the consequences of the House Bill 2 (HB2)
in the State of Texas. HB2, put into law in July 2013, set forth a number of
requirements that made the practice of abortion very difficult and led to the
closure of the majority of abortion clinics in Texas (Feliks). It required
abortion doctors to have admitting privileges to a hospital within 30 miles of
their clinic, all clinics to upgrade to ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs),
abortions after 20-weeks to be prohibited, and women who take abortion-inducing
pills to be under the supervision of a physician and do multiple follow-up
visits for a series of weaker dosages (Feliks). What’s interesting is that
these rules, as supported by physician Dr. Parker, “Don’t add anything to the
safety of women.” They have no scientific or medicine based evidence that
support the increased safety of the practice of abortion. In fact, as admitted
by the Chairman of Public Health, Senator Carter, [the purpose of this bill]
“is to make it a little bit harder to get an abortion and [hopefully] save a
baby’s life”– or essentially, to eliminate the safe and legal practice of abortion. “They’re not using best
practices based on evidence-based approach; they’re not using the research that
we do to determine what is safe abortion care… they don’t care about
that…they’re letting politics trump medicine,” (Dr. Parker, Trapped 2016). What
legislatures and most pro-life supporters fail to understand, is that outlawing
the safe and legal practice of
abortion is not going to prevent women from pursuing it. In reality, it will
only increase the number of abortions that are done in an unsafe manner. In
fact it’s already happening. Women are obtaining abortion earlier and earlier.
Fifty-one percent of all abortions in the U.S happen before the eighth week of
pregnancy, 91 percent for the 13th week, and more than 99 percent by
20 weeks (Benshoof 162). As supported by the director of one of the abortion
clinics of Texas, “Women are going to have abortions, it’s just that they are
not going to be safe and legal” (Trapped 2016). Up to 240,000 women in Texas
are estimated to have tried to end a pregnancy themselves without medical
assistance (Trapped 2016). This documentary goes against the normal hegemonic
narrative by presenting the idea that: women who choose abortion should not
only be supported, but that abortion itself is a human right – a constitutional
right, and thus must be provided on a state and federal level to women
everywhere.
Another way that Trapped goes directly against the hegemonic
narratives that most media try to present, is by showing the personality and
atmosphere of people on the inside – those who fight for reproductive rights in
a very honest, open way. Firstly, the nurses, healthcare workers, and doctors
in this documentary are very different from the often violent, selfish
pro-choice supporters that most media form present. The staff in the clinics
shown in this documentary are incredibly kind, compassionate, poised, humble,
and selfless people who are doing what they are doing based on the belief that
giving women the freedom to choose abortion is a human right. Dr. Parker, in
response to the criticism he often receives from people in his own community,
states, “There are people who feel like having a faith identity and providing
abortion care are mutually exclusive… I do think that my commitment to my work
is rooted in my early Christian/religious understanding. When you have a sense of
duty for what you do, it allows you to ignore the naysayers.” Dr. Parker and
many of the other relentlessly committed staff in this documentary have
powerful convictions (some in faith) that providing safe and legal abortion
services is a human right and it is their duty to preserve it. They are in no
way the aggressive, selfish, malicious naysayers that media often depict
pro-choice supporters to be. In fact, this documentary shows the pro-life
supporters as being empathy-less, inhumane, malicious, and judgmental people –
very contrary to the hegemonic narratives that most film and TV attempt to
show. As the abortion clinic staff diligently work to meet the demand of
increasing patient volume due to the closure of a majority of the abortion
clinics in the state of Texas, protestors are consistently seen with picket
signs that say “No Murder!” “Babies are being killed here!” and people chanting
“Murderers! Baby killers! Don’t let people go in there!” It is alarming how the
very people who claim to have such humane hearts because they support the life
of babies are hurling such horrific insults and shaming women with such
malicious intent. In conjunction with strengthening the cause for making
abortion a constitutional right, this documentary counters the often-distorted representations
of pro-choice supporters by presenting their compassionate, empathetic,
self-less, and courageous sides and by openly disclosing the authenticity of
their convictions.
In conclusion, media, especially those produced in Hollywood
have a tendency to shame/shun abortion and imply that having the child is the
only right thing to do. It then reinforces this point by depicting parenthood
to be a utopic life where the father is fully supportive and the end result is
rainbows and roses – a life happily ever after. However, with the rise of
liberalism and pro-choice supporters throughout the nation, even TV shows such
as “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” are coming out to reinforce
counter-hegemonic narratives including the idea that abortion is understandable
and should be allowed under the right circumstances. Professionals (doctors,
nurses, public health employees, and lawyers) in documentaries such as Trapped are
going as far as to argue that abortion should not only be provided as a
service, but that access to it is a woman’s right, a human right – a
constitutional right, and therefore must be legalized and provided everywhere. As
members of a free society, we are surrounded by media. As Douglas Kellner
states, “We are immersed from cradle to grave in a media and consumer society”
(7). Thus, it is our duty to decipher and challenge the messages that media present
in order to counter the exploitation of which leads to the perpetuation of
horrendous hegemony. As Lull states, “[Hegemony] has to be actively won and secured…
Hegemony fails when dominant ideology is weaker than social resistance” (41).
In order to create a more equal, free, and harmonious society, we as the
citizens and consumers of media must take up our duty to actively decipher and
challenge the hegemonic narratives that are presented by media – for hegemony
can only continue as long as it is not being challenged.
Works Cited
Hall, Stuart. "The Whites of Their Eyes: Racist Ideologies and the Media." Gender, Race, and Class in Media, edited by Gail Dines, Jean M. Humez, Sage Publications, 2015, pp. 104-107.
Kellner, Douglas. "Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture." Gender, Race, Class in Media, edited by Gail Dines, Jean M. Humez, Sage Publications, 2015, pp. 7-19.
Lull, James. "Hegemony." Gender, Race, and Class in Media, edited by Gail Dines, Jean. Humez, Sage Publications, 2015, pp. 39-42.
Rohlinger, Deana A. "American Media and Deliberative Democratic Processes." American Sociological Assosication: Sociological Theory 25.2 (2007): 122-48. JSTOR. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Knocked up. Dir. Judd Apatow. Prod. Judd Apatow, Shauna Robertson, Clayton Townsend, and Seth Rogen. By Judd Apatow. Perf. Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl. Universal Pictures, 2007. Film.
Feliks,
Garcia. New York. “What Is HB2 and Why Did the Supreme Court Overturn It?” The Independent. Independent Digital
News and Media, 27 June 2016. Web. 14 Mar. 2017
Trapped. Dir. Dawn Porter. Perf. June
Ayers, Nancy Northup, Dalton Johnson, and Willie Parker. Netflix, 2016.
Documentary.
"U.S. Abortion
Statistics." Abort73.com / Abortion Unfiltered. N.p., 20 Jan.
20177. Web. 13 Mar. 2017. <http://abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics>.
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