In case you were unaware, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is currently in its 9th season – the last two in comic form, of course, but Buffy lives on none the less! And occasionally, the directions in which Joss Whedon and co. take the characters still cause controversy, both within and outside of the fandom. Beware of spoilers!

In Issue #5 of Buffy season 9, Buffy found out that she was pregnant! This in itself was a huge deal of course, and fans were left wondering how the Vampire Slayer series could continue with her at its center: could she be a Slayer while carrying the baby, and what would happen when it was delivered?

But in Issue #6, the fans were in for another shock, when Buffy announced her decision to terminate the pregnancy.

ComicBookMovie has provided the following stills:

The website also quotes series creator Joss Whedon, who offers the following comments on why he chose to take Buffy in this direction:

It’s not something we would ever take lightly, because you can’t. You don’t. It’s not an easy thing for anyone. Buffy was always about the arc of a life, and it wasn’t ever going to be one of those shows where they were perpetually in high school and never asked why. It was about change. So there’s never a time when Buffy’s life isn’t relevant.

Abortion is of course a highly polarizing issue, and many TV series opt to have their characters lose the baby for dramatic value, as opposed to making the conscious choice. But Whedon felt that it was important to address the issue in the story:

It’s not that women should be on one side or the other, but that people have to make this decision and talk about it. It offends me that people who purport to be discussing a decision that is as crucial and painful as any a young woman has to make won’t even say something that they think is going to make some people angry.

Do you agree with Joss Whedon that fiction can be used to tackle such a contentious issue like this and be a platform for debate? Or should Buffy the Vampire Slayer have stayed away from this topic, which is often considered taboo?