abortion clinic is stifling. In 2021, the mean was 27.8 minutes; it has now more than tripled to 100.4. The study also revealed that 33% of reproductive-aged women are more than an hour away from a suitable clinic. TV is a great way to digest these types of stories. It’s easy; it’s accessible. I would argue that it may even be a more lenient way to confront some of these contentious issues, far easier than a hefty data-driven study, far more comfortable due to the familiarity of your favorite characters on the screen. We’ve grown with these characters; as viewers, it is entirely natural to see them. Is it possible that we feel more compelled to listen to Addison’s frustrations than someone giving a speech in real life? Maybe it’s easier in fiction, to rationalize some of the grisly details as mere drama, but the fact of the matter is, art imitates life and life imitates art. One study that looked at what students in the medical field found to be most memorable from medical dramas — medical errors, bioethical dilemmas, and death. If what viewers are taking away from shows like Grey’s Anatomy is not the day-to-day routines of a healthcare provider but instead the issues and the errors of the field, clearly something is working. Now, that is not to say that these dramas are the most accurate thing in the world. Lord knows how dramatized it can be. Still, there is something to be said about the exposure we get as viewers to the variety of topics that are covered in shows like Grey’s
Anatomy. The social justice and policy side of healthcare is often overlooked; it’s easy to not see how these fields intersect. We’ve been taught, after all, to think of medicine as a field just focused on symptoms and treatments. Perhaps it is shows like these that pushes the envelope just a little. If even one conversation is started about abortion clinics and how pervasive the lack of access is now, Post-Dobbs, then I suppose the episode was a success. At the very least, I know Addison’s monologue is doing the rounds on twitter, and viewers are talking about it. It’s a start. And so, without further ado, I am absolutely thrilled to introduce our last piece of this issue, “No, We Won’t Keep Our Voices Down” by Bailey Merlin.
