The Choice that Dare Not Speak Its Name

i do seem to be posting a lot re tv of late--well, since i teach TV in American Life and Women in Media, and classes start next week, i suppose it makes sense...

so, like the star of bones, the star of the terrific summer show in plain sight is pregnant, and her pregnancy has to be worked into the show somehow.  they're doing a good job of it; she has decided from the start to put the child up for adoption, and this is complicated by the fact that her sister and brother in law want to adopt the baby. she is adamantly against this because it would keep her in some kind of relationship with the child. ' aghast, she says, "so what's the kid supposed to call me--Auntie Mom?".  interesting place to go with it, more so than if that's what she ends up doing--lots of ambivalence guaranteed for the next few seasons....

what annoys me in this, however, is that no mention of abortion is made at all.  obviously it wouldn't be a real possibility, given that the reason for the character's pregnancy is the actor's.  indeed when we  saw her in the first new episode a couple of weeks ago, she was already thickened.  but however happy the star may be about her condition, the character isn't.  she's a sophisticated, cynical, world-weary woman, not bound by any religious beliefs we know of.  why, as her friends and family learn of her pregnancy, does no one say, 'so you've decided to have the baby?'  nor does she herself offer any information like 'i thought about abortion, but i don't feel right about it.'  frankly, that might even sound good to a right-to-lifer.  it certainly would sound good to anyone who believes in choice, and probably to any woman dealing with the question in her own life.  not mentioning it is fake, and a cheat.  maybe the subject can still come up--if her partner marshall is slightly tipsy, he might ask.

dramatically, marshall could be a great character in this storyline.  last year, we were left in the last few episodes with the clear impression that he was at least a bit in love with mary. that hasn't been addressed yet this year, and maybe with this new situation, the producers decided to just ignore that.  on the other hand, if they have any sense, they'll follow through, with marshall [now dating another woman] getting the idea that he and mary could raise the child together.  [he is an interesting character: monotoned and wry, he is as cynical as mary, but a believer in love and commitment. he might even oppose abortion.  the conversation, if not the decision, could lead to more development of both their characters. their clashing/complementary personalities could play out funkily as her pregnancy advances.