The storyline for the winter finale of Scandal has sparked quite a debate for slamming the decision to defund Planned Parenthood. Although the political drama series met the expectations of many fans, some weren’t very pleased with one particular scene in the episode titled, “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”
Throughout the episode of Scandal , Mellie Grant took center stage with the “longest fillibuster in history,” posing strong arguments in support of Planned Parenthood funding. she pointed out hundreds of seemingly frivolous organizations and expenditures that receive guaranteed funding each year, but could actually see significant cuts and still survive. While Mellie supported Planned Parenthood, there were a number of other scenes that suggested the defunding of Planned Parenthood would be more beneficial.
According to News Buster , Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes has been accused of crossing disturbing lines for tackling the topic of Planned Parenthood and orchestrating an abortion scene while the Christmas holiday hymn, “Silent Night” played in the background. The irony of the scene centers around the fact that Olivia Pope [Kerry Washington] aborted her and President Fitzgerald Grant’s baby while the hymn, which celebrates the birth of Christ, played.
. @shondarhimes , creator, “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal”; founder, Shondaland production company https://t.co/vBL2uPU7XX pic.twitter.com/JC5USqjvLF
— NYT Magazine (@NYTmag) November 20, 2015
However, that’s not all. Right before the Scandal scene played out, a man was executed as Huck confronted Eli Pope, accusing him of destroying his life, but Eli fired back by accusing Huck of destroying it himself.
The scene contained a number of allegedly underlying statements and references as Eli argued how family creates emotions, or “soft tissue,” that potentially destroys people. To many fans, Eli Pope’s statement about family, which he described as “a pressure point, soft tissue, an illness, an antidote to greatness,” was a subliminal jab at Planned Parenthood. As Eli’s words resonated, Olivia underwent the abortion.
Here’s a clip of the latest episode of Scandal.
By the end of the episode, Olivia can be seen sitting on her sofa, smiling, sipping a glass of wine and admiring her Christmas tree as “Ava Marie” plays in the background. Needless to say, the scene has garnered mixed opinions from viewers everywhere. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund has praised Rhimes for tackling such a critical political issue and raising awareness about the other services the non-profit organization provides.
“Tonight, the millions of people who tune into Scandal every Thursday night learned that our rights to reproductive health care are under attack. Never one to shy away from critical issues, [showrunner] Shonda Rhimes used her platform to tell the world that if Planned Parenthood lost funding for contraception counseling, STI testing, cancer screenings, and safe, legal abortion — millions of people would suffer. And this episode wasn’t the first time one of Rhimes’ characters had an abortion, yet tonight we saw one of our favorite characters make the deeply personal decision that one in three women have made in their lifetime. We applaud Shonda Rhimes tonight — and every Thursday night – for proving that when women are telling our stories, the world will pause and watch. We just hope those in Congress — and throughout the nation — who are steadfast on rolling the clock back on reproductive health care access are taking note.”
But, conservatives and feminists definitely aren’t pleased with the montage set of the seemingly offensive and shocking scene, describing it as “vile” and “disturbing,” reports Breitbart . Many fans have taken to Twitter with their reactions to the episode, which has been widely considered nothing more than a Planned Parenthood advertisement.
#IStandWithMellie #IStandWithPlannedParenthood
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) November 20, 2015
I’m just confused about the “pregnancy” the “abortion”. Was it Fitz’s child? Did she really have an abortion? Was it necessary? #Scandal
— Ana? (@Ana_Elle971) November 20, 2015
abortion and “Ave Maria” … if they were going for a disturbing, perverse combination on Scandal …
— Kathryn Jean Lopez (@kathrynlopez) November 20, 2015
https://twitter.com/MichaelPetkosek/status/667713561947435008
https://twitter.com/Mupje86/status/667766382159863808
What do you think about the Planned Parenthood scene from Scandal ? Do you #StandWithMellie or not? Share your thoughts.
[Image via ABC]
