‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Breaks Barriers With Powerful Consent Episode [VIDEO]

Last night’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, “Silent All These Years,” was a powerful tear-jerking episode about consent that left tears in many viewers’ eyes.

Jo (Camilla Luddington) pays a visit to her birth mother to find out why she was abandon at a firehouse as a newborn, and she learns the unsettling history behind her conception.

Jo’s mother (Michelle Forbes) was sexually assaulted by her date resulting in her having severe depression throughout her pregnancy. She hoped she could one day love the child, and not resent it for being the product of her worst experience, but although she loves her, she couldn’t. Five days after she gave birth, she left Jo in front of the firehouse in hope that someone else could take better care of her than she could.

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Jo emphasizes with her mother and tells her she had to make that impossible decision too, when she terminated her pregnancy because of the violent home life with her ex-husband. Jo tries to reconcile with her mother, but she’s hesitant, and things between them remain strained.

Jo’s encounter with her mother leads her to treating a assault survivor named Abby, who’s petrified of submitting a rape kit, but is convinced nonetheless.

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The process of submitting a rape kit is shown in painstaking detail as Abby goes through the steps; Jo does her best to make her feel comfortable.

Abby requires surgery to repair her sternum, but she’s afraid of being seen as “broken.” Jo arranges for all the men in the hospital to leave the wing so all the women in the hospital can line up in solidarity with Abby, which gives her the strength to go through surgery.

And as they walking into recovery, Jo stresses to Abby, “You’re a survivor.”

If you or loved one has been the victim of sexual assault please contact the National Sexual Assault hotline at 800.656.HOPE or the website rainn.org