Charlie wants an Abortion?

Dee: Well, ultimately it’s her choice.

Dennis: It is not just her choice!

Mac: It’s nobody’s choice! It should be left up to God.

This conversation occurs among the gang shortly after Charlie finds out he might have a son in the second episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. After the discovery, Charlie wishes he would have been a part in aborting him ten years ago. Mac is displeased with this option because of his Catholic upbringing and heads to a pro-life organization to find more biblical information in hopes of winning the argument. This is where he meets an attractive woman, Megan. In an effort to get closer to Megan, Mac attends a pro-life rally with her and eventually seduces her after lying about murdering abortion providers. During the rally, Megan “tests” Mac by telling him that she’s pregnant. Mac immediately tells her she needs to get an abortion because it was an accident, he’s way too young, and has a “little bit of an alcohol problem.”

 

Although it is over-the-top, the gang highlights the stark divide on this “public, moral issue” that Munson is analyzing. Despite polarized perspectives, both Munson and Fischer note that views on abortion in America have changed little since it became a major issue in the 1970s. Fischer even points out that Americans are increasingly lenient on sexual issues like premarital sex and homosexuality. Mac and Megan certainly exemplify these attitudes. However, the moral concern over abortion has been “developed and nurtured by the movement itself” (Munson 95). Mac also exemplifies this. He buys into the pro-life rhetoric and becomes an activist, yet it becomes a different story when he is directly affected by the issue. Mac is just a pawn in the extensive pro-life movement Munson is studying, yet he emphasizes how fickle the issue can be when it comes down to the individual–because at the end of the day the movement isn’t what is shaping our opinions.