From Dirty Dancing to GLOW: How abortion on screen has changed

Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982). Still image via Universal Studios

Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

Although the actual scene of Stacy Hamilton at the clinic was deleted from Fast Times At Ridgemont High, the film still puts focus on her abortion. When her attempts at seducing one boy do not work out, she invites over the older, more suave Mike Damone. The two of them end up having sex in the pool house.

When Stacy discovers that she is pregnant, she makes an appointment to have the pregnancy terminated. At the urging of her friend Linda, she asks Mike to help her cover the cost of the procedure. The day of the appointment, Mike does not have the money. Rather than tell Stacy that, he just stands her up.

Without Mike to take her to the clinic, Stacy is forced to ask her brother Brad to drive her. She does not want him to know where she is going. So, she asks him to take her to the bowling alley and then goes to the abortion clinic across the street. When he picks her up, she makes him promise not to tell their parents.

Linda is less than impressed. In an iconic phone call between her and Stacy, Linda calls Mike Damone “a no-brain little prick”. She says Mike should not get away with his behavior, but Stacy tells her not to do anything because she does not even like the guy.

The whole sequence of events is fairly true to life. Stacy’s decision to abort does not linger too long in the question of morality. Instead, Mike’s behavior is called into question, which is pretty forward-thinking for the film’s time.