Hollywood said to treat abortion themes with 'trepidation' in films

Published: 2007-10-23

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The treatment of abortion themes in movies may seem to some skewed against a pro-life viewpoint -- if they're presented at all -- but the issue is much rarer in films than many might think. Forty years ago "the Production Code forbade touching abortion in Hollywood movies," said Henry Herx, retired director of the U.S. bishops' Office for Film & Broadcasting. Also known as the Hays Code and put in place in 1930, it regulated all manner of content. "It's all changed since 1968 with the dropping of the Production Code," he said, and the institution of a ratings system by the Motion Picture Association of America that didn't evaluate content until after it was committed to celluloid. But even so, the abortion issue is still approached "with great trepidation" by filmmakers, said Harry Forbes, the current director of the film and broadcasting office. "For all of the liberalness of Hollywood -- the reported liberalness of Hollywood -- when it comes to depicting that sort of thing on screen, the filmmakers are very, very careful not to offend," he said.

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