Though the iconic “Dirty Dancing Lift” and Patrick Swayze’s electric dance moves are doubtlessly what most people remember about the 1987 movie “Dirty Dancing,” the film carries a much more powerful message about the risks of illegal abortion. It not only provides a visual poignant argument for the pro-choice side of the Roe vs. Wade abortion debate, but its carefully designed plot ensures that the film’s memory will remain ever-present in the minds of all who watch its iconic scenes.
The film came out 14 years after the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, but it was set in the year 1963, a time when abortion was largely illegal in the United States (King). On a summer family vacation at a mountain resort, when the protagonist, Baby, comes to learn that the lead entertainment dancer, Penny, is pregnant and needs an abortion, Baby asks her father, a physician, for money to pay for it; the movie’s plot centers around the need for Baby to fill in Penny’s role as lead dancer Johnny Castle’s partner. When Penny returns from the “procedure,” she is on the brink of death, as the “doctor” used nothing more than a “dirty knife and a folding table.” Baby’s father steps in to save her life, and is shocked to find out that the young man who impregnated Penny, who refused to take responsibility, was actually dating his eldest daughter throughout the summer.
The film brings to light several important issues plaguing U.S. society that still hold up today. The socioeconomic limits of Penny’s lifestyle from a life of poverty, coupled with sexual inequality and limited paternal responsibility laws, led to her feeling like she had no other way out. Viewers can clearly see that desperation and a lack of options drew her to a dangerous situation, and could have cost her her life.
The film’s screenwriters faced understandable opposition in the process of creating the abortion subplot. The portrayal of a doctor unquestionably saving a woman’s life when it had been threatened by a botched abortion was risky at the time, and truly had not been done before, despite the appearance of abortion in film since 1916 (A Century…).
Screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein faced extreme pressure from corporate sponsors to remove the abortion story-line, but she believed it too crucial to the plot (King). She wanted young girls watching the movie to remember a time when abortions were illegal, so as to not take their rights for granted. The movie serves as a focus of memory that calls attention to the past as a way to show future generations a reality in which their current circumstances differ from (Nolan).
The film addresses the inequality in access to safe abortions based on class privilege, the physical danger in the practice of “under the table” abortion procedures, and the entirety of childbearing responsibility falling on a woman when she becomes pregnant. The film, which sold over 32 million copies worldwide, created an opportunity for abortion rights to be talked about more openly.
According to Quartz, around the time when the film first released, less than 40% of Americans believed under any circumstances that abortion should be legal, but in recent years that number has jumped to greater than 50%. The portrayal of abortion in film ensures that millions of people are going to be exposed to the reality of its illegality and the effects thereof, which leads to honest, open conversation.
In the present, as the debate has resurfaced, Jennifer Grey (“Baby”) has openly spoken out about being “horrified that this is really on the table again in 2022… Talk about being in the corner.” With the recycling of this famous line from the movie, Grey contributes to processual memory by applying the movie’s romantic story-line to the very real concept of limiting a woman’s freedom.
Moreover, the immortal movie has even more potential to impact future generations, as Jennifer Grey confirmed that there is a sequel in the making (Nardino). Though it is unclear how the subject of abortion might present itself in the new film, it is safe to assume that upcoming publicity for the movie will ignite memory of the original film, and call attention to the incendiary pro choice message behind the story.
Based on personal opinion and the assumed experience of most viewers, the movie effectively weaves the heavy subject of terminating a pregnancy into the story arc of a teenage romance, making the launch of this story appealing to all audiences. Memory of the movie is largely overshadowed by the chemistry between the two main characters, but upon further inspection, the driving force of the plot-line’s events stems from Penny’s situation. In doing so, the screenwriters sent lifelong memories of swoon to all who watch the film, and conveniently attached the secondary theme of reproductive rights.
At a time when women’s rights were stifled in popular media due to a lack of awareness and conversation, the 1987 film’s release guaranteed its success with the subtlety in its insurgency; it is with great anticipation that the film’s sequel does the same to engage current generations and beyond in pro-choice movements.
Nina Wozniak
Bibliography
“A Century of Abortion Onscreen, 1916-2016.” ANSIRH. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.ansirh.org/news/century-abortion-onscreen-1916-2016.
Herold, Steph. “From ‘Dirty Dancing’ to ‘Scandal,’ on-Screen Abortion Stories Carry Sway.” The New York Times. The New York Times, July 24, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/24/opinion/abortion-television-movies-dirty-dancing.html.
King, Georgia Frances. “How the Illegal Abortion in ‘Dirty Dancing’ Started Honest Dialogue about Reproductive Rights.” Quartz, March 28, 2019. https://qz.com/quartzy/1576857/dirty-dancing-started-a-dialogue-about-reproductive-rights.
Logan, Elizabeth. “Don’t Forget That ‘Dirty Dancing’ Has a Powerful pro-Choice Message.” Glamour. Glamour, May 13, 2022. https://www.glamour.com/story/dirty-dancing-powerful-pro-choice-message.
Nardino, Meredith. “Jennifer Grey: ‘Dirty Dancing’ Sequel Is ‘Tricky’ without Patrick Swayze.” Us Weekly, August 21, 2022. https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/everything-to-know-so-far-about-the-long-awaited-dirty-dancing-sequel/.
https://qz.com/quartzy/1576857/dirty-dancing-started-a-dialogue-about-reproductive-rights
Nolan, Emma. “’Dirty Dancing’ Writer Added Abortion Plot as Roe v. Wade Cautionary Tale.” Newsweek. Newsweek, May 4, 2022. https://www.newsweek.com/dirty-dancing-writer-abortion-plot-roe-v-wade-cautionary-tale-1703487.