Abortion in the news and in pop culture. Plus a Public Service Announcement on Pregnancy Crisis Centers. With guespert Katie Scoular. Part 2 of 2!
Music: “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby” Andrews Sisters & Bing Crosby.
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14 Responses
ZOMG, what was that little clip at the start of the show from? I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to punch someone quite so much as while I was listening to that!
On a cheerier note, I, too, absolutely loved Degrassi (Junior) High and Battle of the Planets – bizarrely, they were some of shows on the one and only channel on tv when I grew up in Alice Springs. That and Astro Boy, Magic Monkey and Danger Mouse. 🙂 I think I was in love with a Degrassi character called Caitlin. Sweet, sweet memories.
I was a little surprised you didn’t go over the horrible (though not as horrible as Kanger) Prometheus and its alien abortion scene. Sounds like Kanger was much worse.
And, although it’s probably not quite about abortion exactly, there was a very interesting episode of Misfits (which Joe put me onto incidentally – props, dude), S04E07, where a character is given an in utero baby by a mother-to-be who was a bit freaked out by the whole pregnancy thing, and had somehow got the super power to transfer foetuses. Very strange, but a curious idea.
Glad you guys made up for your tiptoeing in the first part of this. Kevin’s foetus fetish comment nearly put me off the road this morning, after the clinic story nearly cost me my breakfast. 🙂 I think you guys need more of a challenge – perhaps Fairy or Flower or Hamster episodes could be on your list.
And can Katie come back and play sometime? She’s a great guest and has an absolutely wonderful laugh.
Derek, the audio intro clip is from Citizen Ruth – watch the entire scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz_22E_KDxg
The Prometheus abortion was considered – maybe more appropriate if we do a cesarean episode. Katie has been the guespert for a couple of our STI part 1 and 2 – very likely she’ll be back again for something along those lines!
Thanks for the reminder about the STI episodes, I’ll go check those out again, and the youtube clip (in fact I might see if I can find the movie somewhere). Sounded interesting.
http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/says_about/abortion.html
“The priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell. And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen. …
And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed. — Numbers 5:21-21, 27-28”
god sanctions abortion, and even tells you how to do it.
My favorite piece of pop culture about abortion is a short story by Ernest Hemingway, entitled “Hills Like White Elephants.” Published in 1927, it also never says the word abortion, but its pretty obvious that is what the woman is talking about.
http://www.has.vcu.edu/eng/webtext/hills/hills.htm
I can’t believe you guys (and gal!) missed this totally caustic gem: Dumplings (2004) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472458/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2 Combines beautiful cinematography with the grossest sound effects ever and a totally cringe-worthy abortion-laden plot!
I watched that for the show and meant to talk about it. Follow Ups!
Surprised you didn’t mention “The Benefactor” an episode of “The Defenders” from 1962. The show lost sponsors because it actually used the word ‘abortion’ on the air.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0557241/
http://classictvhistory.wordpress.com/2008/08/15/benefactors/
The rabbit doesn’t always die! In the pop culture area of this podcast, M*A*S*H*, Episode #142 called What’s up Doc? Hot lips is concerned about being pregnant. Hawkeye asks to use one of Radar’s rabbits for the test. Radar objects and convinces Hawkeye to try to save the rabbits’ life while still performing the the test. SPOILER ALERT** Hawkeye successfully removes the rabbits ovaries and saves the rabbit!!
I thought of that episode too…I was going to bring it up…glad I wasn’t imagining it 🙂
I loved that Kevin was making jokes abut abortion the whole time, but then Joe came in with this gem. “I’m lazy, but I take out the fucking garbage! There aren’t fetuses laying around my apartment!” (paraphrased) I actually had to pause if for a minute until I could stop laughing.
Never did I think I would find humour in a topic that I personally experienced. It also made me see that although my experience was a bit traumatic, there is always worse. Thanks guys…great job 🙂
Perspective!?!
I have so little of it myself, never thought I would be credited with giving it to others.
Another great pop-culture reference – the Sarah Silverman Program Season 2, episode 1 “Bored of the Rings” – all about abortion. I don’t know what you guys think of the show, but I found it to be hilarious and this episode was no different. Sarah pickets at her abortion clinic (which happens to be the one that her sister volunteers at), but then stops it from getting blown up. Funny!
http://www.thecomedynetwork.ca/shows/TheSarahSilvermanProgram?videoPackage=83255