The BBC's Call The Midwife has been praised by viewers for how it tackled the topic of abortion in a difficult episode of the period drama.
Created and written by Heidi Thomas, the BBC One programme saw nurse Valerie Dyer (played by Jennifer Kirby) help a woman who had just undergone an illegal backstreet abortion.
Viewers described the harrowing miscarriage storyline as 'possibly the most emotional ever'.
In the episode, which aired on Sunday, 13th January 2019, Cath (played by Emily Barber) arrives at Nonnatus House bleeding and experiencing discomfort. She then passed the dead foetus in the bathroom and had her womb removed to prevent the spread of infection.
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"Possibly the most emotional episode ever, and the writers never shy away from controversial story lines or highlighting social issues of the time," Annette Hill wrote on Twitter. "Such sensitivity and compassion shown.#CallTheMidwife remains my favourite BBC drama."
"Midwives are so important... botched abortion story line has completely broken me," Naiomi added.
"Still in tears when watching that episode of #CallTheMidwife," Stephen McGann, who plays Dr. Turner in BBC TV series, said. "Tears of frustration for those times, and how they punished with shame on women."
And there was plenty more praise for the difficult episode...
The Abortion Act became law in the United Kingdom in 1967, legalising abortion under certain conditions for the first time.
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Before then, many women were put in dangerous, life-threatening conditions if they tried to terminate a pregnancy.
According to Abortionrights.org, in the early 20th century fifteen per cent of maternal deaths were due to illegal abortion.
If you've been affected by the storyline raised in Call The Midwife, you can contact the charity Sands.
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: TV News, TV Entertainment, abortion
