In 1972, Maude, the main character portrayed by Bea Arthur in the show of the same name, had an abortion. From Wikipedia:

"Maude had an abortion in November 1972, two months before the Roe v. Wade decision made abortion legal nationwide, and the episodes which dealt with the situation are probably the series' most famous and certainly its most controversial. Maude, at age 47, was crushed when she found herself pregnant, and everyone agreed with her that having a baby at her age was very risky and not a wise thing to happen. Her daughter, Carol, brought to her attention that abortion was now legal in New York state. After some soul-searching (and discussions with Walter, who agreed that raising a baby at their ages was not very wise), Maude tearfully decided at the end of the two-parter that abortion was probably the best choice. Noticing the wide controversy around the episode, CBS decided to rerun the episodes in August 1973, and members of the country's clergy reacted strongly to the decision. At least 30 stations dropped the show."

In all my years of media addiction, the only sensitive, empathetic portrayal I've ever seen of a woman undergoing an abortion occurred on HBO's "Six Feet Under."

"Degrassi High" and the 3rd season of "Prime Suspect" had sensitive, empathetic portayals of a main character having an abortion.

I heard about that episode as well -- "Accidents Will Happen" -- it concerned Manny. I think though, that this particular ep wasn't broadcast in the United States. Too bad, because this topic is something that touches many teens.

Like many diary blogs, this is narcissism, plain and simple.

I heard about that episode as well -- "Accidents Will Happen" -- it concerned Manny. I think though, that this particular ep wasn't broadcast in the United States.

I think I saw a different episode. The first week of school, a girl found out she was pregnant. Her sister took her to the clinic, where they encountered protesters.

I'm pretty sure that Claire sees the baby in a dream accusing her of murder - or something creepy like that...

Stacy Hamilton gets an abortion after getting pregnant by Mike Damone. She tells noone except Damone, who provides the money for it, and goes to get the abortion alone. But her brother Brad figures out what's happened and offers his moral support.

A while back, I found myself pregnant, newly moved 3000 miles from my family, still unemployed after 6 months of actively looking for work, without insurance of any type, and at the very end of my savings. I'm very educated and fairly personable, but I was about to get a job at Starbucks. Feeling very stuck and overwhelmed, I made my decision. After encountering an unexpected state mandated waiting period of 24 hours and discovering Planned Parenthood in my area does not offer abortions, there was a very limited appointment schedule, forcing me to wait another week and a half. I found myself slogging off to some obscure, unmarked location where I had to divest myself of everything electronic, as well as my jewelry, to be glowered at by an armed guard, buzzed through security doors, and check in with someone who was behind bullet proof glass. The doctor didn't make eye contact, speak to me directly, and was less than gentle.

I can't quite get past this idea that the pro-life movement puts out there of women making uninformed and blase choices; this is not a super fun experience you might just try out on a whim. I won't describe the other women at the clinic, but I can tell you there was a range of ethnicity, age, and economic status, whose stories were hinted at by who was accompanying them. People make difficult decisions all the time, yet this one is fraught with judgement.

Penny's abortion was the impetus for everything that happened in that movie. She is portrayed extremely sympathetically.

Its interesting how they snuck a little pro-choice propaganda under everyone's radar -- I remember freak-outs about Baby having sex, but not Penny. Maybe showing what happens when abortions are illegal made people mind their manners a bit.

If it wasn't for narcissism and sharing of personal experience, there wouldn't be blogs (or comment letters).

I'm glad she posted this stuff, even if it does have an expiration date. Abortion, like any other life experience, can be as funny as it is heartbreaking, as stupid as it is serious. I laughed when she talked about the "twilight" procedure . . . I had totally forgotten about having to make that decision when I had abortions.

I am surprised she told her dad, when I suppose she didn't need to tell anyone. I tell people when the topic comes up, but I didn't go out of my way to tell anyone but the person who had to drive me home from the clinic at the time.

I disagree with Wood Goblin, the blog is not based on self-interest or an inflated sense of self-importance. The author could not find information that she needed, and chose to respond by creating that document. Hopefully others will find it useful and be grateful to her for it. I sincerely hope that the blog is not her only outlet, and that she has the support of friends (although she hasn’t mentioned any so far).

If she was truly narcissistic, she would have allowed others to comment back so she could bask in all the attention.

I suspect it's a hoax. She bags on Planned Parenthood a lot, and uses a few terms that are evocative of anti-choice propaganda. Plus, abortions don't take long enough to justify putting up a blog. The distance of time between discovering you're pregnant and aborting is brief, especially early on. A week, maybe.

If she has a change of heart, then we'll know---hoax.

Everwood also did a very sensitive episode about abortion. A young girl (not a series regular, natch) found herself "in trouble" and went to Dr. Brown, who ended up not doing the procedure. The ultra-conservative town doctor ended up providing the abortion, like his father had done for years; quietly and whenever it was needed. I was solidly surprised by how well done it was.

I think this blog is a great idea, although I was glad to see the author doesn't have a comments section. I heard a phrase recently - "If you want to lose all faith in humanity, read any online comments section." I think she was smart to prevent "discourse" from the angry masses.

Many good thoughts going the brave blogger's way in this difficult time.