Can anyone recall any storyline in film / TV where a woman decides to have an abortion......

[Greythorne]

without:

A) changing her mind at the clinic doors as "she just can't do that"

B) receiving some (medically unlikely but dramatically "satisfactory") kind of divine retribution like infertility as a consequence?

I can't. And yet thousands of women make the decision to have an abortion every year and it is absolutely the right decision and they do not regret it.

DoctrineofSnatch dh and I had a very lengthy conversation about that scene. We both hated that she was shown to commit suicide. I think she did it as her parents are politically famous, and Catholics, and there would be a negative judgement if it was known that she was pregnant and/or had an abortion. BUT she commits suicide....that would cause equal negative judgement for the family, both politically and religiously. Dh felt that the abortion messed with her mind and she made a rash decision. But then, that casts abortion in the evil corner again.

Yeah I saw it as just as much a "punish the pretty girl for having sex" move as punishment for the abortion per se.

Did anyone see The Slap? The Australian drama that was on TV a little while back. One character had an abortion, knowing full well that it was probably her last chance to have children. There was emotional fall out (she broke up with the much younger father, who was devastated) but she didn't regret it and ended up pursuing her ultimate dream to be a writer.
Excellent series.

Oh yes, I did see The Slap, agree it was really good. Anouk wasn't it, who had the abortion? Shame that she had to be "punished" by splitting up with boyfriend though (I know this is a stereotype and there will be exceptions but I think most men that age would be relieved if their GF decided to abort, so I'd have preferred to see that storyline, both as it's more realistic and to avoid the usual "abortion always has negative consequences" message)

Jal in Skins. Even though her partner had died, she still went through with it, had no regrets, went to uni.
Fast Times At Ridgemont High. No regrets or "punishment" there either.

The Almighty Johnsons (NZ show) a character's boyfriend breaks up with her and she decides not to continue with the pregnancy and it's treated in a matter of fact way.

Interesting how few genuinely positive examples there are. And how loaded to last minute "saves" the rest are...

An episode of Family Guy Lois has an abortion

sieglinde sorry, but you and your modern history teacher are both wrong about the scene where the emcee holds Sally Bowles's breasts.

Sally is pregnant by Max, or Brian, who have also slept together in Cabaret.

Not a film, but in Caitlin Morans book 'How to be a Woman' she writes about having an abortion simply because she felt her family was already complete and that she has never regretted it. I found out about her book because some women at work were discussing how scandalous it was that she felt no shame and that they couldn't finish the book. Plenty of similar comments in the Amazon reviews section too. I think it's refreshing that a woman could just get it done and carry on with life without feeling she has to metaphorically beat herself with birch twigs over it. Mistakes happen.

The only one I can think of that hasn't been mentioned is Polly in Bodies. It's a while since I watched it though. If I remember rightly she had an abortion using pills which she administered herself. I don't remember any adverse consequences. Although like I say it's about 6/7 years since I saw it. Also not the most true to life example.