Nicole Scherzinger played Penny but opposes abortion

The website Premier Christian Radio reports that Nicole Scherzinger almost refused to play Penny Johnson in the Dirty Dancing ABC original movie that was broadcast in May 2017. Scherzinger explained that she opposes abortion but playing the role gave her the celebrity and opportunities to speak out against abortion. to The article includes the following passages:

American singer and actress Nicole Scherzinger has revealed the moral conflict she had in playing a TV character who has an abortion.

Nicole Scherzinger plays Penny Johnson ... [who] has an illegal abortion which ends up threatening her life.

The former Pussycat Dolls star, who's a Catholic, told the Daily Mail: "So I got the role and I almost didn't take it because I didn't want to promote abortion, because my character has an abortion. .... Hopefully they [viewers] can learn from her ways, and I can be a positive influence."

Scherzinger said her grandfather, who's a minister, prayed about the role and advised that she take it.

She went on:

My mum got pregnant with me when she was 17 and had me when she was 18. She chose.

Her [my mum's] parents were never going to let her have an abortion. So I came out [was born].

So, I just want ... to encourage everybody to keep your babies.

We decided that maybe I could be a voice, that I could shed some light on the subject without being preachy."

Dirty Dancing will be Nicole Scherzinger's first lead role in a film.

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According to Gallup polls of public opinion, most people think that abortion should be illegal in at least some circumstances. These divisions of opinion have remained roughly stable for several decades. (Click on the images to enlarge them.)

The portion of the population opining that abortion should always be legal rose after 1987, when Dirty Dancing was released, but returned to its usual level by about 1997.

However, most people think abortion should be legal in the first three months of pregnancy, which would include the Penny's abortion in Dirty Dancing.

About a third of the population believes abortion should be illegal in the first three months.

Many people -- such as Scherzinger -- suspect or know that they themselves almost were aborted. Such people are likely to oppose abortion.

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Some people dislike the movie Dirty Dancing because it portrays abortion as a good solution to Penny's unplanned pregnancy. Although I respect such an opinion, I suggest that abortion opponents acknowledge the movie's eternal popularity and use it as a well-known basis for discussing abortion as a moral issue.

When the talented and admired entertainer Nicole Scherzinger advises young women to "keep your babies" instead of aborting them, she exerts a real influence -- especially since she herself has played the role of Penny Johnson and so has thought seriously about Penny's predicament and anguish.

Since Scherzinger was not aborted, she lived to dance in the Dirty Dancing original movie.