New Doc Traces How Hollywood Stigmatized Abortion on
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- "Hollywood Does Abortion" documentary, which premiered at Tribeca Festival, argues that TV and film depictions shaped public views of abortion as disgraceful or dangerous, citing shows like "Dirty Dancing," "The Sopranos," "Party of Five," "Juno," "Roseanne," and "Sex and the City" that used miscarriage, false positives, or near-death complications as dramatic devices.
- Norman Lear's 1972 "Maude" two-episode abortion arc on CBS faced pressure to scrap the second half if ratings were low, and multiple Southern stations refused to air it — but Maude ultimately had a safe procedure, with Lear calling a miscarriage alternative a "cop out."
- Rachel Bloom, creator of "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and a producer on the documentary, said most writers used abortion as "a dramatic device" rather than depicting it accurately, adding that the industry has "a responsibility to be accurate."
- A UCSF Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health study cited in the film found that less than 0.25% of U.S. abortions result in major complications and less than 1% require emergency room treatment, while Planned Parenthood reports one in four women have had an abortion by age 45.
- The shift in Hollywood's portrayal coincided with Ronald Reagan's 1980 election and the rise of the religious right, the documentary argues, accelerated by messaging from figures like Hillary Clinton who framed abortion as "safe, legal and rare."
- Co-director Janet Goldwater said more abortions are now depicted on screen than ever following the 2022 Dobbs decision, but rarely with the access barriers faced by people in the 13 states where abortion is banned with almost no exceptions.
- Adrienne Barbeau, who played Carol on "Maude," said the post-Dobbs era makes the 1972 episodes feel "as important and as timely now as it was then, if not more so," adding: "We've gone backwards."
Why it matters: The documentary lands as 13 states have banned abortion with few exceptions, and its makers say even the recent uptick in on-screen abortions rarely depicts the access barriers those residents face — exposing a gap between Hollywood's liberal self-image and decades of stigmatized screen output that may have shaped public attitudes for a generation.
