If you haven’t started watching the ABC Family show The Fosters, August seems like a good time to catch up. I’ve written before about how sensitively The Fosters handles real-life situations. The writers take a nuanced approach and allow for sadness and messiness.* This past week’s show tackled a very difficult topic in a refreshing (for TV) manner. Stef (one of the lesbian mothers), several months pregnant—but not yet with a viable fetus—developed preeclampsia. Her life was seriously at risk if the pregnancy was continued. Her first reaction was to take her chances and wait until the fetus would be viable. But once her mother poignantly and wisely pointed out that her responsibility was not to what she wanted (a biological child of her own) but rather to what she was needed for (the children she was raising), she realized what she had to do. Television shows rarely tackle abortion, and when they do, the character invariably ends up essentially “sainted” for choosing not to abort. Kudos once again to those behind The Fosters. They tackled a difficult topic with thought and grace.
For more on this topic, read Margaret Lyons’ piece on Vulture.com.
Side note for those fans of Orange is the New Black. I didn’t know how I was going to possibly go back to watching Yvonne Parker (Stef’s mother) on The Fosters without throwing things at the TV whenever she was onscreen. Parker plays the evil and hateful Vee on Orange is the New Black. However, Parker’s performance on this week’s show was so moving and wise that I promptly let go of my animosity.
*Although a recent storyline dealing with “selective muteness” wasn’t one of my favorites.
