Abortion Touched by an Angel It's amazing how a fantasy-based, sometimes cheesy TV show with angels disguised as ordinary people can encompass a deeper truth in a now that in a month of evening news! That's exactly what writer/producer Martha Williamson accomplished in a recent episode of Touched by an Angel titled "The Hollow Chair." Bucking the Hollywood establishment and its "pro-choice" ethic, Williamson has shown unparalleled courage and vision on the consequences of abortion. Newlyweds in Boston, Betsy and Bud Baxter wanted nothing more than to work together on a television show. An offer from an Omaha station to co-host "Breakfast with the Baxters" seemed like their first big step on the road to fame and happiness. Fifteen years later, when the owners of the new station suddenly cancel their show, the Baxters are devastated by the loss of their jobs, their dreams, everything that had given their lives meaning and, it seems, everything that kept them Together. They bitterly vent their disappointment and grief until the arrival of the stranded travelers (the angels Monica and Andrew) gives Betsy and Bud the chance to tell their stories separately to a compassionate listener. It's not long before the underlying problem emerges, the unspoken question that has stood between them since they took the job in Omaha: that the only child they had ever conceived had been "lost" shortly before moving there. When Betsy learned of this pregnancy, she spontaneously bought a small baby sweater. Bud reacted negatively to the news. All she thought about was how a child could disrupt their career plans on the eve of their first big break. When Bud left for several days to attend a friend's wedding, Betsy diligently took care of the problem with an abortion. She only told Bud that she had "lost" the baby. Betsy tried to hide her pain by drowning it in work. The sorrow and pain did not go away, but silently, secretly, they deprived her of joy, of sleep, of the ability to feel close to her husband, of the ability to simply relax and open up to life. Bud is torn between wanting to know if their baby had been aborted and wanting to avoid the question, to protect Betsy and himself from the painful confrontation of what they had done. Bud struggles to forget and bristles at the first hint of discussion about their loss.