Scene and Heard: Pregnant Pause in Hollywood

In the midst of Hollywood’s baby craze, pregnancy has been moving from the red carpet to the silver screen. But the darker side of pregnancy has yet to be discussed. In the recent hit comedy “Knocked-Up,” one character takes baby steps towards addressing this “issue,” going so far as to say the quasi-taboo word “shma-shmor-shmin.” In an effort to open up the abortion debate, at least on campus if not in the hills, Harvard Students for Choice hosted a panel last Friday entitled “Hollywood’s Pregnant Pause.”

As part of Women’s Week, the event, organized by Harvard Students for Choice co-directors Catherine P. Humphreville ’10 and Sean P. Mascali ’08, featured speakers who screened clips from various movies such as “Juno” and “Saved” to investigate if pregnancy-centered narratives portray abortion as an unmentionable rather than a debate.

“In none of these clips is the word abortion used,” says panelist Shauna L. Shames ’01, a graduate student in government. “It’s good to be pro-choice, but bad to be for abortion,”

But this semantic Hollywood argument disregards the importance of debate all-together, using a partisan issue to benefit a politically-correct weakling of a film industry. “Babies and pregnancy and getting together with a guy are what make a happy ending to a story,” audience member Amanda L. Shapiro ’08 says.

While it’s undoubtedly important to many that their $15 (round trip on the T, plus egregious movie prices) night on the town end with either wedding bells or labor pains, a happy ending isn’t always in the cards. Especially in a debate. But “Hollywoods Pregnant Pause” didn’t have to worry about ending in disagreement, because they were lacking a key part to the argument: the opposition.

Harvard Right to Life Vice President Peter A. Syski ’08 says the event fell under the small organization’s radar. Mascali says of the lack of debate: “They are more than welcome at our events, I was actually hoping for more of a dialogue.”

Perhaps we’ll see more discussion with the upcoming movie, “Horton Hears a Who.” After all, “a person is a person, no matter how small.”