the ask@AAR: Can romance include abortion?
Almost 50% of pregnancies in the United States are unintended and, in 40% of those, women chose to end their pregnancies. Whether you’re pro-life or pro-choice, the fact is many women choose abortion–nearly 1 in 4 women had an abortion in the US last year. And yet abortion rarely shows up in our books, our movies, or our TV shows. There are exceptions, usually on cable TV. But in general, this part of women’s lives is rarely shown.
This is especially true in romance. In romance novels, keeping a baby is almost always the only option protagonists consider and losing a baby is almost always seen as a tragedy. Many a plot is propelled by failing birth control or unprotected sex and, when a heroine discovers she is pregnant, the reader knows that baby is here to stay.
Publishers and corporations know that presenting abortion as a valid choice is likely to lead to angry and vocal protests and boycotts from those who believe that abortion is immoral. And yet, if this is an experience shared by so many women, why can’t we tell stories about it that allow for that possibility? Especially with the existence of RU-486, the so-called morning after pill.
What do you think? Have you read any romances that deal sympathetically with heroines who’ve chosen abortion? Would you like to see storylines that include it? And, please, in the comments, be kind to those who see this issue differently than perhaps you do!
I’d like to add a tag for abortion. If you know of a romance that includes one, please let me know!
Isn’t there an abortion in Sherry Thomas’s Private Arrangements? Am I mis-remembering?
No. She loses a baby and it is devastating to her.
I have a recommendation for a recent book featuring abortion. It is mentioned in one of the early chapters of the book, so I don’t feel like it is a spoiler.
Pregnant by the Playboy by Jackie Lau
Marissa gets pregnant after a one night stand with Vince. When she realizes she is pregnant, she reflects on the abortion she had when she was in college. It was handled sympathetically and without regret.
She plans to raise the child herself, but wants to make sure Vince has the option to be in the child’s life. Obviously they end up together since this is a romance.
I also like that this isn’t dealt with as a major plot point. The heroine made a decision she felt was right and moved on. This is a great example of how to portray abortion without a lot of baggage.
In terms of music, if you are familiar with the song “Brick” by Ben Folds Five, it is a meditation of the man’s feelings when his girlfriend has an abortion.
It seems extremely unlikely that nearly 1 in 4 women had an abortion in the US last year. I think you mean 1 in 4 women who were pregnant, maybe?
I can think of two romance novels in which the heroine had had an abortion, but this doesn’t come up until later in each book, so:
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* Good For You by Tammara Webber – the third book in her Between the Lines series. All the books feature characters who dealt with teen pregnancy in different ways.
* Deliverance by Jennie Marsland – historical romance set in Canada during WWI.
In both books this is something that weighs on the characters, but it was the right choice and is presented sympathetically.
In Jennifer Donnelly’s The Winter Rose, set in the early 1900s, the heroine is a physician who treats at least one woman following an abortion, and lost a good friend after an illegal abortion (in the 1890s). Her experiences inspire her to try and supply women with contraceptives.
You are right. The statistic is one in four women will have an abortion in their lifetimes. In 2019, 18% of pregnancies in the US ended in abortion.
I know I have read books where the heroine at least contemplated ending a pregnancy. I want to say the sequel to Willing Victim by Cara McKenna called Brutal Game (I think) had the heroine contemplating it. The author had even mentioned in one of her blog posts when she was still writing that she didn’t understand why writers (or more writers) didn’t mention STDs in their books- so she’s an author that’s willing to cover the nitty gritty “unsexy” topics in her books.
While I have read tons of romance novels that cover very serious topics from mental health (one of my favorite books is set in psychiatric hospital) to almost every kind of social problem or personal problem that exists, those aren’t the books that tend to become massive romance blockbusters.
While some writers like Nora Roberts have had really successful books covering things like child abuse, in general the books that wind up on the top ten bestsellers often tend to be things like wallpaper historical romances or books with a more generic appeal. That doesn’t mean that more serious topics couldn’t or wouldn’t become a bestseller, it’s just more likely to see them in “women’s fiction” and more escapist type of romances hit the top of the charts.
i think abortion should be included. romance reflects the lived reality of women and abortion is a part of that reality. even people who fervently want children end up aborting-birth defects incompatible with life are a big reason why, and it’s something glossed over in the mainstream. while romance can be escapist, it also often deals with the hard decisions women have to make, and medically necessary abortions are just one example.
In the book Hollywood Dirt by Alessandra Torre, the heroine uses the morning after pill. I be 100% on board with a heroines choice to get an abortion. And I wouldn’t want it to be a main conflict of the book.
I think romance could explore more nuanced portraits of unplanned pregnancies in general. While I understand “surprise baby” is a popular trope, I see a lot of inexplicable insta-excitement over unplanned pregnancies outside of the trope. As in, “Oops, I’m pregnant… Hooray!” Really? Especially when the heroine gave zero indication before that point in the story that she might want to be a mother, the reaction often comes across as false. I’m not saying nobody has that reaction, but would at least a few sentences of mental conflict be out of line? Forget a character actually choosing an abortion; I’ve never seen a category romance heroine even mentally consider the option. Nor have I seen anything resembling an “OMG, how the heck could this have happened!? My life is totally ruined!!!” freak-out.
I think Carrie G has a great comment on this thread, so I won’t bother quoting the whole thing. I’d just like to add to her list the possibility of a heroine exploring adoption, especially the kind where the birth parents are involved with the adoptive family. That could create a really interesting story replete with complex family dynamics.
I can’t recall any titles off the top of my head but my general impression is that if the heroine gets pregnant by the hero, the baby is either kept or the heroine unfortunately miscarries. The baby is like a symbol that they are meant to be together. If the heroine gets pregnant by someone else and has an abortion, it is typically before she ever met the hero and although there may be some unresolved angst about the decision, it is eventually realized to be the right decision at the time. It would not bother me to read a story where the hero and heroine together decide not to keep their baby, especially if there was a mature discussion about it, but I’m not sure I would necessarily seek out those stories.
Can it? Obviously it can. But talk about trigger warnings!
Yes, absolutely! I’d love to read romances that include responsible depictions of abortion. Like one-quarter of women, many of my friends and family have had this healthcare procedure and I salute any person who has had to make such a potentially difficult decision regarding their lives and reproductive health.
The romance genre has definitely lagged behind in portraits of abortion, but recently I’ve seen a number of wonderful portraits of abortion experiences in television and movies: the pilot episode of Hulu’s Shrill, Netflix’s Sex Ed, and the tender romantic comedy, Obvious Child. The latter is one of my all time favorites and I highly recommend it!
One-word answer: yes.
Romance authors should be able to write about any topic that affects relationships, especially one so common in real life. I have read books that mention the Morning After pill as a viable decision, but can’t remember ever reading one where a heroine decides to terminate a pregnancy in the present (as opposed to some where she has in the past). I would also think the topic could be approached from lots of angles, including women who are fine with their past decisions, and women who regret them, and honest portrayals of people who genuinely hold differing opinions. While pro-choice (with my own personal caveats), I have spent a lot of years around strongly anti-abortion groups and there is a lot of compassion and desire to help there when you look beyond the rabid sound-bites from the over-zealous that are favored by news outlets.
But while I think this topic is fair game, I can’t see it being very successful in the US in our present social climate. Political machinations since the 80’s have made abortion a hot-button political issue instead of a medical one, and the topic is fraught with misplaced emotions and anger. I honestly don’t think publishers are going to be very eager to court the fall-out.
I can remember reading a Category Romance in the early 1970s in which the female MC had an abortion. I’ve been trying to track it down but haven’t managed to do so! It was published by either Mills and Boon or the other main publisher (?) of CRs in UK at that time. It was set in Kenya at the time of Mau-Mau, so 1952-60, but is definitely not M.M. Kaye’s Death in Kenya. The bits of the plot that I remember are: British female flies to Kenya for family reasons, becomes involved with pilot and gets pregnant – I think he might be two-timing her. The real love interest is a game warden type. There is a thriller-type mystery and she gets her HEA with the game warden. The racial politics will probably not be acceptable now, but I would be very interested in finding this book if it rings any bells with anyone else!
@Dabney – very brave to open this discussion as it’s very much worth considering. I read the following article just before I looked at the latest on AAR today so it was particularly apropos:
Abortion: Texas teen attacks new law in high school graduation speech – BBC News
I don’t think that we are being asked here to say whether we are for or against abortion so I won’t express an opinion. Though I can’t recall the titles, I have come across abortion shown as a realistic/acceptable decision a few times in romantic fiction. And I think Katja made some very worthwhile comments here earlier about the wide range of subjects tackled in romance novels. I have said on AAR previously that, for me, reading romantic fiction is to read about the human experience in all of its manifestations so why not abortion? Or menopause, menstruation, infertility, the choice of not having children or any other contentious issue? Although I personally disagree with the goals that Stonewall expresses in the following article (also from today), even this sort of POV could be incorporated into romantic fiction in the right hands. Pretty much anything goes, really, as long as there are readers wanting to read it and for those who don’t, just ignore it.
Stonewall tells employers to not use ‘mother’ and to say ‘parent who has given birth’ instead | Daily Mail Online
You are right this conversation is not about whether or not you approve or disapprove of abortion. It’s whether or not this is a topic we would like to see covered with respect in romance novels. Thank you for doing just that!
I can only recall one: Laugh by Mary Ann Rivers. The heroine is widowed when her soldier husband is killed and after she discovers she is pregnant, she decides to have an abortion. I read the book a long time ago so I don’t remember the details, but I think it wasn’t a major plot point and was dealt with in a very matter-of-fact manner. I’ve definitely read books where the heroine takes a morning after pill, but again, usually it isn’t a major party of the story.
And I thought I was the only one who opened cans of worms around here! Lol
JB Salsbury’s FACE THE MUSIC features a heroine who has had two abortions in the past: iirc, one was before she met the hero; the other was after she met him, but before they became involved in any way. She is concerned that the hero (a pastor) will not love her if he discovers she has terminated her pregnancies. Although not particularly well-written, I remember FACE THE MUSIC primarily because it did address abortion in a way I’ve rarely seen in romance, where generally either continuing with the pregnancy is not even questioned (the Harlequin universe) or considering a termination is given a moment’s thought before the decision to have the baby is made.
While not a romance novel. in my opinion one of the best books about abortions is John Irvings The Cider House Rules.
Love that book AND the movie!
I don’t recall reading any such books.
It’s pretty easy to see why no one writes about this subject.
People don’t read romance to delve into serious subjects, it’s almost completely about escapism, so bringing up something that will repel a large part of the readership seems like a non-starter. Especially since the lack of said subject is not likely to drive away the readers that would not be bothered by it.
I am very sorry, but I disagree strongly with this part of your comment: “People don’t read romance to delve into serious subjects, it’s almost completely about escapism”
There are romance novels dealing with alcoholism, substance abuse (laudanum in historicals for instance), rape, abandonment by parents, poverty, hunger, serious illness, handicaps, death, war, treason, murder, racism …
What I think is important in a romance is how the hero and/or heroine are dealing with these issues, whether they are able to overcome them, arrange their life around them and find happyness despite (or in some cases maybe even because) of them.
I am not saying I do not also read romance for the escapism it provides, but at least for me that is not the only thing. I also read to get insights into other peoples lives and beliefs, to learn historical facts or something about other cultures, to broaden my horizon.
So bring on romance novels with abortions .. I for one would be happy to see all aspects of life being dealt with. Especially one which is part of so many peoples lives in one way or another.
I forgot about substance abuse! Yep, I’ve seen that too.
I am not sure I agree. Lots of romances deal with death–Roni Loren has a whole series based around those who are recovering from a mass shooting attack, for example–loss, tragedy and social horrors.
I suspect this has more to do with the post Roe v. Wade politics of the US.
I’ve read romances featuring terminal illness of one of the protags (or a serious illness from which the party recovers), cancer, HIV/AIDS (thank you, Harlequin Presents in the ’90s), child abuse, domestic violence, rape (and not rapemance or forced seduction, either), widow (and widower)-hood, the deaths of parents and grandparents. There’s no reason why a romance can’t include discussions about abortion.
Romance covers plenty of tough subjects. I just finished a romance (FOR LUCY by Jewel E. Ann) which was about the aftermath of the accidental death of a child by drowning. Usually, death of a child is one of my hard-no’s in romance, but I thought Ann did a very good job of showing the grief and devastation of losing a child without resorting to melodrama or manipulation. Just because a romance by definition promises an HEA doesn’t mean the road to getting there is going to be without difficulties.
I’m pro-choice, and would have no problem with the issue being addressed up in a romance novel as long as it was handled the right way. I can’t remember if I’ve read it in a romance – but then I don’t read many m/f contemporaries so I’m less likely to have come across it.
I am against abortion (and I will not justify why here) but I believe that at the end of life there must be variety, if someone wants to write books where heroin aborts or has aborted because of not wanting the baby, then let him do it … of course this opens the space for the author to work on it in different ways: She is at peace with her decision or she regretted both approaches can create discomfort. At the end of the day, things should be simpler, not all books are for all people and that is fine, only that we would be adding another topic that people would want to know where it is addressed and how it is done in a review.
The issue of bad reactions, well it turns out that not because something is rarely dealt with in romance novels the issue ceases to exist or the people who support it invisivilizing something only creates a fantasy that “that doesn’t exist, nobody thinks that way. “.
Sorry my bad English is not my native language.
I would actually love to see discussions of abortion in Romance that respectfully acknowledge those the pro choice and the pro life sides.