Ok, so I feel like a bad lesbian for missing the season premiere of The L Word last Sunday. I had to find out about the pro-choice theme of the show via Feministing. (The cable gremlins disconnected my neighborhood's premiere cable channels… what's a girl to do?) Anyway, the first episode picked up the storyline of Kit (played by Pam Greer) and her boyfriend Angus deciding what to do about her pregnancy. Unlike other popular TV shows (*cough* Scrubs), The L Word dealt with the topic of abortion in a very nonjudgmental way. But what the buzz really centers around is that Sunday's show highlighted the hypocrisy of crisis pregnancy centers.

In an early scene, Angus checks in with Kit to see how she's feeling about their choice to have an abortion and she acknowledges that it's difficult, but "it's the right decision." Then the really interesting scene comes later when they go to the "Loving Care Women's Health Center," which turns out to be an anti-choice crisis pregnancy center. When Kit is in the exam room and asks for the doctor who will be doing the procedure, the "nurse" congratulates Kit, hands her a big gift box, tells her the due date, and shows her a picture of her "beautiful baby." Kit immediately realizes what's going on and tries to leave, pushing her way out to the lobby and yelling for Angus. In kick-ass pro-choice fashion, she then calls the clinic "anti-women" and says they "harass and intimidate desperate women who come in for help." (Go Jackie Brown… I mean… Kit!)

You can watch this whole L Word episode on Showtime's website or in six parts on YouTube (unfortunately they've disabled the code so that I can't just embed the video for you to watch directly in this post – but the clinic scene is in Part 4 at about 7:27.). Better yet – watch the relevant clip of the clinic scene on AlterNet.

For more information about abortion issues on television, check out this article by Rebecca Raber (in The Village Voice). It's from a few years ago, but I don't think much has changed. If I'm wrong, let me know! Please post comments about TV shows you've seen that address pregnancy options in an unbiased manner.

Update: Here is another great article: "Fit the Script? Abortion in Pop Culture" from Our Truths/Nuestras Verdades (find it in the drop down menu under the Our Minds tab).