Pro-life? Pro-Grey's Anatomy!

It’s March for Life weekend. Hundreds of thousands pilgrims are flooding into Washington, D.C. right now, traveling by bus, plane, car – whatever it takes, however long it takes, for the 39^th annual march protesting Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States. While it’s hard to get a concrete number, last year’s March had an estimated 400,000 participants. And some reports believe that half those marchers are under the age of 30. Our own Office of Youth Ministry’s The Way, The Truth, and The Life pilgrimage is taking around 500 people.

I love that so many young people are taking a stand against abortion. I think it’s because they realize that in the four decades that abortion has been legal in this country, they’ve missed out on ever knowing one third of their peers. I also love that so many young people take a stand against abortion because I know that the youth of this country have a much bigger influence on popular culture than they realize. Teenagers have the largest amount of disposable income of any demographic – disposable income that advertisers are after. If teens will watch/listen to/consume it, then society will produce and promote it.  Disposable income dictates the content of our culture. Just this week, websites and social media outlets were covered with opposition to the PIPA and SOPA legislation that was under Senate consideration. I saw comments from hundreds of teenagers – most of whom are too young to vote – all over Facebook and Twitter. Their impact postponed Senate voting on national legislation.

With the amount of influence young people have on our culture, the potential impact of Christian teens on pop culture is hard to ignore. A lot of people are super critical of popular culture, and rightfully so. Many movies make jokes about sex or pornography, and lots of characters fail to live the virtue of chastity. Scripture says that as Christians, we are no longer a part of this world (John15:18-19, James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-17), although we still live in this world. We still watch TV shows, we still go see movies. We must consume this media critically, not letting the lies in those shows become a part of who we are. We’re just able to see the difference between the truth and the lies. If our values dictate the media, instead of the other way around, imagine the possibilities for change in this culture.

One of my favorite shows on TV is Grey’s Anatomy. Even if you aren’t a fan of this show, you’re probably familiar with the concept – it’s a typical medical drama, full of suspenseful medical traumas and characters falling in and out of love as they try to save lives. As I watched this week’s episode (spoiler alert: I’m going to discuss it in some detail; if you’re curious, you can watch the full episode online here), I said a prayer of thanksgiving that Grey’s is Thursday night’s highest-rated drama.

Cristina Yang is the show’s most competitive character, a resident surgeon specializing in cardio-thoracic surgery. Her highest priorities are getting in on the hospital’s most interesting heart cases, being the best surgeon among her peers, and working under the most talented mentors in her field. Her husband, Owen Hunt, is the hospital’s Chief of Surgery – i.e. her boss. Sometimes, that makes things complicated...

On this week’s episode, a cyclist comes into the hospital with a metal fence post sticking out of his chest. Owen, as Chief of Surgery, tells Cristina that she can’t be on the case because she hasn’t slept for 48 hours and needs to go home and get some rest. She disobeys his orders and manipulates the patient’s wife so that her mentor can do the surgery and she can assist. When Owen finds out, he is rightfully furious and bans Cristina from working under her mentor as a punishment. She thinks he’s overreacting. It was just one surgery, she says. But to Owen, it’s not just one surgery. It’s every situation, because Cristina’s ambition impacts every area of their married life.

The important back-story you need to know: last season, Cristina became pregnant unexpectedly. When she told Owen, he was thrilled about the surprise and ready to become a dad. But for Cristina, having that child would jeopardize her career and ruin her life. Owen tried to convince her that they could make it work, but Cristina refused. She didn’t want to become a mother. Ever. In her mind, the only option was an abortion. They talked about it, and although Owen was not totally convinced, he decided that his marriage was more important and agreed to stay by Cristina. What impressed me most about this storyline was the struggle this couple endured. In the few movies and television episodes I’ve seen actually tackle to issue of abortion, it’s treated as no big deal. A woman gets pregnant, gets an abortion, and gets on with her life. This was different. Owen was vehemently opposed to Cristina’s decision, but chose to stand by his wife. And as Cristina sat in the chair at the doctor’s office, the conflict and pain on her face spoke volumes. Even for someone who never wants children, abortion is a very, very big deal.

Fast forward to last night’s episode, when Owen and Cristina are fighting – yelling, really – about a heart surgery Cristina performed against Owen’s orders. It’s not just one surgery, Owen says. It’s everything. Because, just like this one surgery, it’s always about what Cristina wants. And then, there’s a moment where realization dawns on Cristina’s face. Her face goes from angry to surprised. “It all comes back to this?” she says.

“Yeah, crazy, right?” Owen responds, “That I would ever bring it up again?”

“Yes,” Cristina says, “yes, yes, okay, yes, it was a horrible situation, but it’s over! Is it too much to ask that we just try and forget it?”

“You killed our baby!” he yells. “You don’t ever forget that!”

I watch Grey’s each week with my friend Nina, and we both sat silently on her couch with our jaws dropped. Did that just happen? Did the Thursday night drama with the highest ratings on television say that, about abortion?

Grey’s Anatomy is not real. It’s a television drama. It’s certainly not religious, although from time to time minor characters bring elements of religion into an episode. And to the best of my knowledge, it’s not political. But last night, millions of people who watch this show saw characters they love face the consequences of abortion. These characters acknowledged that abortion damages families, for months and even years after it happens. Owen showed millions of people that abortion isn’t just about a woman and her right to choose, but that it hurts men, too. It was an incredible illustration of the void that’s created between a couple after an abortion. And the final thing Owen says to Cristina?  Acknowledging that their pregnancy involved a baby and that that baby was killed.

I said a prayer of thanksgiving that popular culture was hit with a dose of reality last night. I hope that the fans of this show thought, even for a second, about the truth of Owen’s words. And then I said a prayer for all the men and women in this country who have been hurt by abortion, perhaps many of them without even realizing it. I’m sure that Cristina’s character thought that her abortion wouldn’t be a big deal. Having a child, that would complicate her life. But in this moment, fighting with her husband after someone else’s surgery, she acknowledges that what happened was horrible. And her husband won’t ever forget it.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this episode of Grey’s Anatomy aired last night, as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims prepared to journey to our nation’s capital. I pray that they will make an impact not just on legislation, but on human hearts. I’m inspired by the fact that a popular TV drama brought some of the truths about abortion to light for millions of people who just wanted to wind down at the end of a busy day. I’m grateful that our culture is moving, however slightly, away from the lie that abortion is no big deal. And I look forward to the day when we won’t have to march any more.