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Lulu is going to have an abortion. Bravo GH. I have been watching General Hospital for (gulp) twenty-years, and I can never remember being as proud of my beloved soap as I am now. They have been tackling this often-controversial subject with surprising sensitivity and understanding to all points of view. This is not the first important topic GH has covered. From breast cancer to AIDS to rape, GH has made a name for itself for not shying away from the big issues, with various results, but never the issue of abortion. With the rampant unprotect sex that goes on in Port Charles you would think the Women’s Clinic would be fully booked. But with the exception of Carly, who initially planned to abort when she discovered she was pregnant with AJ’s baby, no on has really considered terminating an unwanted pregnancy. It was as if the show was afraid to approach a subject that divides so much of the country. But the truth is that abortions happen. They are safe and legal and often the only choice for a woman to avoid bringing an unwanted child into the world. It is the logical decision for a girl like Lulu. She is barely eighteen and not romantically involved with the father. She came from a broken family with an absentee father, an absent mother and a brother who is currently a drug addict. That the pregnancy was not her fault, but caused by a defected condom on makes her position more heartbreaking. Abortion is not, as many anti-abortionists would claim, a form of birth control. It is a serious and difficult decision for a woman to make. The decision can effect not only the mother but also everyone involved with her life, and GH has attempted to paint balanced picture: Dillon gave a voice to father’s rights by wanting to raise the child with the help of his family. The Quartermaines, characteristically, saw the child as another person to control. Lucky, in his drug induced state, accused Lulu of planning on murdering the fetus. While most of the women on the show agreed that the choice was ultimately up top Lulu herself. All this would not be quite as effective if it were not for the incredible acting that has been on display by all involved, specifically the always reliable Anthony Geary who has given Lulu her only true allay, and for the first time stood up to his role as a father, and Julie Marie Berman as Lulu. Even at the start of this storyline when she seduced Dillon, it was with none of the malicious narcissism of a Maxie. When they did have sex and she played it off as a casual thing, the look she had in her eyes told the story of a girl who just wants to be loved. Now she wears all of the fear, confusion and strength that this girl would have in this situation on her expressive face. She was a real find. Of course, as of Friday the 15th, Lulu had yet to have the procedure and in a true soap way she could change her mind or otherwise be prevented from having it. I will e very disappointed if that is so. If GH can get away with such extreme behavior such as one man fathering children with a mother and daughter, they can certainly follow one girl as she gets rid of her unwanted pregnancy. By Juliet
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