TV has brought the abortion debate home since the 1970s

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/04/ [login to see] /abortion-debate-on-scripted-tv
As people across the United States try to envision a world without Roe v Wade, scripted TV shows have portrayed the impact of abortion on fictional characters.

Storylines that include abortion have increased a lot on TV in recent years. In 2021, ANSIRH (Advancing New Standards In Reproductive Health) tracked 47 plotlines that involved abortion over 42 shows including dramas like Hulu's Handmaid's Tale and NBC's This Is Us and comedies such as Hacks on HBO Max and Workin' Moms on Netflix. Five years ago, there were only 13 plotlines involving abortion.

"But, as any researcher will tell you, an increase in quantity doesn't necessarily mean an increase in quality," says Steph Herold, a researcher with ANSIRH.

The problem: stories about abortion often reach for the extremes rather than reality.

First, TV characters who get abortions are mostly white, wealthy and without children. "Kind of the exact opposite of the reality of who's getting abortions," she says. "Most people who have abortions are already parents. They're struggling to make ends meet. They're women of color." You can see a demographic breakdown as reported by the CDC here.