In Ginny & Georgia, the first words out of Georgia’s mouth when she learns her teen daughter is unexpectedly pregnant are, “It’s okay. Of course, it’s okay.” Brianne Howey’s character is stern, often brash, and isn’t always prone to doing or saying the right thing, but in one of the most talked-about moments of the show’s third season, she makes no missteps.
It’s a complex moment for Georgia, who became a single mom to Ginny (Antonia Gentry) at just 15 years old before having another baby, a son, by the time she was 23. It’s everything she wouldn’t wish on her daughter, yet wouldn’t change a second of it for herself.
Georgia knows her daughter is unsure about her next steps. The knowledge that she would not be here if her mother had chosen to have an abortion is enough to cause uncertainty for the teen. But the show makes something instantly clear — the right choice for one woman isn’t necessarily the right choice for another. This is the crux of the advice Georgia gives her daughter next as she navigates the difficult balance of trying to support Ginny without telling her what to do.
(L to R) Brianne Howey as Georgia Miller, Antonia Gentry as Ginny Miller in Ginny & Georgia.
Amanda Matlovich/Netflix
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“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” she says through tears. “But you changed my life. My life became about you. And that was okay, that was good for me. But you’re different. You have so much to look forward to, so much life to live, and I want you to have the best life — the very best life. And a baby, that is sacrifice. That’s just truth.”
“I made my decision. Only you can make this one.”
It’s all Georgia can tell her daughter at this point. She has spent every moment since Ginny was born trying to give her daughter a different life than the one she had. But faced with something she can’t control or protect her daughter from, all that’s left is to guide her through and promise to be there no matter what.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” Howey said while describing the scene to People. “It’s a really important conversation starter.”
“I am glad that we were able to do it in a way that didn’t really complicate that notion,” Gentry said of the storyline. “This is a choice that she had to make; she made it, and we didn’t linger on the details of that.”
Ultimately, Ginny tells her mom she doesn’t want to continue her pregnancy, along with an apology that her mom quickly shuts down. Georgia holds her daughter in her arms and promises her it’s going to be okay. And it is. Ginny gets abortion pills and curls up with a hot water bottle to ease the painful cramping, and then it’s over.
After her abortion, Ginny wonders if she should feel guilty. Her mom assures her that she shouldn’t. When she tells her dad, Ginny asks her dad if she’s somehow damaged now. Her dad insists that she’s not.
Antonia Gentry as Ginny Miller, Brianne Howey as Georgia Miller in Ginny & Georgia.
Amanda Matlovich/Netflix
The scene is raw and matter-of-fact. There is no attempt to moralize Ginny’s choice or make it some great turning point for her character or her parents. It’s subdued and careful. There is nothing easy about Ginny’s choice, but it doesn’t have to be shameful or an isolating secret. And, most importantly, having support from her mother guides her to what is best for her.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 1 in 4 women will have an abortion by the time they’re 45, and with abortion rights increasingly under attack in the US, Ginny & Georgia’s storyline is necessary now more than ever.
Before you go, click here to see great TV shows about the complexities of motherhood.
