In a year marred by unparalleled turbulence, 2020’s television and movies provided both a welcome escape from and a weary reflection of our tumultuous reality, and this year’s depictions of abortion are no exception. This year, we saw far fewer abortion plotlines on television (only 31 in 2020, compared to 43 in 2019), but a remarkable increase in the number of movies with abortion plotlines (thirteen in 2020, compared to three in 2019). While our previous Year in Review reports have been limited in scope to television, we considered this increase in films of particular importance, and are including them this year.
READ MORE about media treatment of abortion in a report by ANSIRH, a research organization.