Mad Men | RH Reality Check

Abortion and the Law: Walter Cronkite's Candid Reporting on Abortion in the Sixties

by Lisa Pearlstein, National Women's Law Center

November 7, 2010 - 6:56pm (Print)

Cronkite, arguably the most trusted man in America of his time, had a candid discussion about the need for safe abortion care even before the procedure was legalized in Roe v. Wade.

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The C Street Family, Terrorism, And Abortion On TV

by Amanda Marcotte, RH Reality Check

October 24, 2010 - 8:42pm (Print)

Jeff Sharlet comes back on to talk about his further research into a secretive right wing group called The Family. Also, anti-choice terrorism predicts larger right wing terrorism. And why can't good girl TV characters get abortions?

Follow Amanda Marcotte on Twitter, @amandamarcotte

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Two Women Walk into an Elevator: Mad Men and Workplace Sexual Harassment

by Sarah Seltzer, RH Reality Check

September 15, 2010 - 6:00am (Print)

In Mad Men, the tough women are branded sexless wet blankets, while those who use their wiles and sexuality to advance themselves can have those qualities turned against them. Meanwhile, a sense of sisterhood is hard to find.

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"Mad Men" Provides Realistic Portrayal of Abortion

by Amanda Marcotte, RH Reality Check

August 18, 2010 - 6:00am (Print)

Even a glance to the past from Hollywood can remind us that access to abortion and to reproductive health care in general should be the priority of the pro-choice movement.

Follow Amanda Marcotte on Twitter, @amandamarcotte

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"Twilight Sleep:" Is The Past Prologue for Today's Debates Over Birthing Choices?

by Sarah Seltzer, RH Reality Check

September 29, 2009 - 6:00am (Print)

Mad Men fans were shocked recently as Betty gave birth in a "twilight sleep" while hallucinating and tied to the bed. This once common practice was ended through the kind of advocacy we need to expand birthing choices today.

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Values Voters Summit Promotes 'New Masculinity' of Ignorance and Fury

by Wendy Norris, RH Reality Check

September 21, 2009 - 7:00am (Print)

The Family Research Council wants you to be manly. So the Values Voter Summit, the annual confab of ultra-conservative political and religious leaders, tried to be hip with a fundamentalist-inspired reenactment of "Mad Men."

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Struggle in a World of Privilege: A Mad Men Salon

by Pamela Merritt, RH Reality Check

August 21, 2009 - 7:00am (Print)

Even as we anticipate watching the women who work at Sterling Cooper struggle with changing gender roles, we are watching that struggle take place in a privileged world.

Follow Pamela Merritt on Twitter, @SharkFu

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You Can't Keep the Lid On Forever: A Mad Men Salon

by Amanda Marcotte, RH Reality Check

August 20, 2009 - 7:00am (Print)

"Mad Men" is all about the hard truths, and the hard truth is that being a woman forging her own path in the early 60s was very lonely indeed.

Follow Amanda Marcotte on Twitter, @amandamarcotte

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Pour A Stoli While the World Burns: A Mad Men Salon

by Sarah Seltzer, RH Reality Check

August 18, 2009 - 7:00am (Print)

Hold on to your hats: the 60s are coming to Sterling Cooper! Will Don Draper and his ilk go from icons of cool to losers holding back the tide of progress?

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"Mad Men" Salon: America's Struggle with Race, Shaken Not Stirred

by Pamela Merritt, RH Reality Check

August 14, 2009 - 7:00am (Print)

Mad Men presents an exploration of race, class, and gender in the not-so-distant past that challenges the notion that all was well back in the day and keeps this fan coming back for more.

Follow Pamela Merritt on Twitter, @SharkFu

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