Degrassi: The next generation had a simple tagline: “It goes there.” If you know anything about the Canadian teen drama — aside from the fact that it gave Drake his big break in the business — you know it that’s right. Degrassi covered issues such as school shootings, domestic violence, child abuse, gender identity, sexual assault, and teenage pregnancy leading to young parenthood, adoption, and even abortion. All of these episodes were perfectly acceptable to The N, the American distributor that aired the show in the US, except for one.
For two years, American audiences were denied the opportunity to see the two-part episode “Accidents Will Happen,” in which a character named Manny, a freshman in high school, defies her kind boyfriend’s wishes and procures an abortion. she thinks and even considers going through with the pregnancy, but ultimately finds support from her mother when she decides she is not ready for motherhood. The show realistically portrays the conflicting forces in her life. Her best friend, for example, is anti-abortion because she herself was born to a teenage mother – but ultimately defends Manny’s right to make the choice.
Stream Where: Degrassi: The next generation streams on HBO Max.
