It was a reproductive justice-centric episode of Real Housewives of New York this week, with Ubah seeking fertility guidance and some answers about her reproductive health because she wants to have a baby with her new man and two Housewives opening about their abortions. Erin initially introduced the topic of abortions, saying she felt compelled to share her story because of the overturning of Roe v Wade and general regression of abortion access in the country. She gave a vulnerable interview to her friend, the editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine, and also told her father about the abortion for the first time in a scene made even more emotional by the fact that he ended up passing a few months after the conversation was filmed. Earlier in the episode, when Erin tells Jenna about her abortion and plans to do an interview about it, Jenna shares that she, too, had an abortion when she was 21 years old.
Jenna’s voice shakes a bit as she shares her story of having just moved to New York with no money and finding herself suddenly pregnant. She ended up getting an abortion at Planned Parenthood. In a talking head, she shares that she has told friends but not anyone in her family. She says she shared with Erin (and by proxy, the cameras) because she could see Erin felt scared. “I want her to feel like she’s not alone,” she says. “And I also want her to know that I understand.” Erin tears up talking about Jenna sharing her story in her own talking head. Jenna also shares with Erin that she hasn’t told her kid Beckett, who is getting ready to go to college this season. Presumably, they must have had an off-camera conversation leading up to the airing of this episode since now it’s all out there.
I’m glad Erin chose Jenna as the person to share her story with and that Jenna felt compelled to share as well, because while I do think it’s a bit of a stretch for Erin to say that no one talks about their abortions (I think by that she means no one in her circles), it does ring as more true that it’s rare to hear queer women share stories of their abortions, especially on such a mainstream and widely consumed platform such as Bravo. Lesbians are often left out of the conversation around reproductive justice in media coverage — almost always when it comes to fertility access conversations but also frequently when it comes to abortion access. Even if Jenna didn’t yet identify as a lesbian when she got her abortion, she offers a queer narrative here, and maybe she and Erin discussed having this conversation ahead of time, but it at least SEEMS unplanned and like a genuine moment of connection and openness.
Listen, I’m not going to completely scrutinize Erin’s decision to tell her story on the show, but whereas Jenna’s disclosure feels organic and real, there’s something so…produced and self-serving about Erin’s disclosure, especially because the biggest blowback she received from fans last season were accusations of being a Republican and, furthermore, a Trump supporter. While she said she eventually grew to stop supporting Trump, she was an early supporter — specifically because she thought he would be good for Israel, a Zionist position she was perfectly comfortable espousing on a podcast. Erin saying she’s heartbroken about the fall of Roe v Wade and concerned about “what’s going on in America with abortion rights” is in all actuality a pretty vague political position to take and doesn’t obscure other more conservative positions she might have, and to have been a Trump supporter at any point means she certainly leans right on at least some things! Again, I’m happy for any women to share their abortion stories. But Erin mentions decreased abortion access without ever naming the powers that are restricting that access or who these laws impact most. And if it sounds like I’m being harsher on Erin than Jenna, it’s because I am! And it’s because this really is Erin’s storyline for the episode and she’s the one who wants to share her story in a mainstream legacy magazine in a way that’s almost stripped of political urgency, whereas Jenna is just sharing her story in the moment and also adding a queer voice to the conversation where queer voices are often ignored. So, anyway, I think it’s great Erin shared her story and that Real Housewives of New York is normalizing abortion in the wealthy white women sphere, but I’m still deeply skeptical of her politics, to say the least.
As for other queer happenings in the episode, Jenna and Racquel have a very flirty scene together! Now, I would normally be annoyed by production framing their vibe as flirtatious just as a result of them being the only two gay ones, but I don’t think that’s what’s happening here! I think they’re flirting for real! But all in good fun, of course, as they’re both boo’d up. But Jenna shares her girlfriend Cass said it’s fine for her to have a little crush. She even has a hall pass if she wants to use it (I think she’s mostly joking around when she says this in the talking head, but one can dream).
Am I just recapping this show every week now? MAYBE SO!
