BBC/Composite: EastEnders Insider Share By Kerry Barrett Aug 1 2025 By Kerry Barrett Aug 1 2025 OPINION: EastEnders has gone too far with Avani's pregnancy storyline Fans are shocked by the "disgusting" and "offensive" storyline Avani Nandra-Hart Features Suki Panesar Share By Kerry Barrett Aug 1 2025 By Kerry Barrett Aug 1 2025 Troubled EastEnders teenager Avani made a decision about her pregnancy this week. She thought things through and decided the best thing would be for her to terminate her unexpected, unwanted pregnancy. As a just-turned 16-year-old with no desire to be a parent, she’d decided it was the right thing to do. Except she hadn’t quite grasped how manipulative her grandmother Suki could be, and how far Suki would go to get what she wanted – which was Avani’s baby. It’s a strange storyline for many reasons, not least because it’s put Suki right back into the role of scheming matriarch that she’s done so well to get away from. And it’s – YAWN – another teen pregnancy on the Square. But where it really rankled was the oddly emotive, pro-life message it seemed to be promoting. Admittedly this was all part of the storyline, but as someone who is fully committed to a woman’s right to choose, it really rubbed me up the wrong way. Article continues below Read all the latest spoilers Suki went to “support” Avani (Credit: BBC) Suki’s manipulation As Avani headed to the clinic, ready to terminate her unwanted pregnancy, Suki went along “for support”. Except her support began with her talking about the “tiny life” inside Avani, who was the size of a strawberry with a heartbeat. Of course no one should gloss over the facts of a termination. But I found that a bit much – as though poor Avani had her own personal pro-life protester sitting right beside her instead of a legally mandated distance away from the clinic. Which, in a way, she did. But it just got worse from then on. Suki pointed out Avani is only a little bit younger than her mum was when she had her brother. She pretended she wasn’t going to pressure Avani any more, and then offered her cold-hard cash for the tot. It was all pretty distasteful. Avani changed her mind (Credit: BBC) Uncomfortable scenes But when Avani changed her mind about the termination, and decided to keep her baby, things got really sinister. She began parroting arguments from the pro-life playbook. She said if she’d gone through with ending her pregnancy it would be hanging over her. And that giving her baby to Suki would be a chance to turn something bad into something good. “If my mum had an abortion, then I wouldn’t be here,” Avani said. “I love my life and I don’t think that I would want to take that away from whoever’s growing inside of me.” I totally understand that these arguments were all part of Suki’s manipulation of Avani, and her changing her mind was more about her vulnerability than anything else. But the way the choice of termination was presented as the only con, with no upsides for a teenager who doesn’t want to be pregnant, left me feeling very uncomfortable. Fans weren’t happy about the anti-abortion messaging (Credit: BBC/Composite: EI) EastEnders Avani’s pregnancy story is “really offensive” Fans agree that the storyline is “so wrong”. Writing on social media they shared their thoughts about Suki’s manipulation. “Gross anti-abortion stance,” said one disgruntled viewer. “The anti-abortion propaganda tonight was honestly disgusting,” said another. “This Avani story is honestly really offensive.” “Absolutely ridiculous and coming across VERY anti abortion,” added another fan. We’ve already had 13-year-old Lily’s pregnancy being portrayed as a minor inconvenience for the Slaters. Throughout that storyline there was no mention of the very real physical risks of a girl giving birth so young, nor the difficulties of being thrown into motherhood before she’d even chosen her GCSEs. Lily doesn’t seem to have suffered any emotional after-effects, or struggled juggling teenage life with being a mum. I was 32 when I got pregnant for the first time with a baby I planned, and I was WAY more discombobulated about the whole thing than Lily ever appeared to be! I don’t think soaps should sugar-coat the reality of terminating a pregnancy. Of course some women find it a difficult or unwelcome choice. Some women struggle afterwards. Some are coerced into ending their pregnancies. But for most women who opt for a termination, it’s the best option at the time and they shouldn’t be made to feel like they’ve made an awful, unethical mistake by a TV show. Avani’s storyline isn’t the place for such strong pro-life messaging and I think EastEnders have taken things too far. Read more: Who’s leaving, joining and returning to EastEnders? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns. Share Good to Know Share By Kerry Barrett Aug 1 2025 By Kerry Barrett Aug 1 2025
