"Switched at Birth" creator Lizzy Weiss recently opened up about the controversial Down Syndrome and abortion storylines in Season 4.
In an interview with Zap2It, Weiss said that it wasn't really her intention to divide fans on whether or not Toby (Lucas Grabeel) and Lily (Rachel Shenton) should abort their child who was diagnosed with Down syndrome.
"I am not pushing either agenda. That's one of the things I want to make clear on any conversation I have about this story. This is not to push one side or the other. It's a decision that these two characters are making at this moment in the time. That doesn't mean it's better or worse than other people's decisions," she said.
In recent episodes, Lily found out that she was pregnant and had the baby tested for defects. After learning that the child in her womb has Down syndrome, she consulted with Toby on what they should do.
Toby and Lily are leaning towards the option of aborting their child. The couple said that they are not ready for the responsibility. They added that they are not ready to give their child the best life he or she deserves.
Weiss said that the upcoming episodes will feature the other characters weighing in and giving Toby and Lily advices on the next steps they should take, according to Cartermatt.
"We've had a lot of stories like gun control issues between John and Regina, arguments about cochlear implants in the deaf community, the campus assault story; and my goal is always to make every character as smart as possible, to never patronize and let everyone speak for themselves as intelligently as possible from their point of view," she said.
"Switched at Birth" Season 4 airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC Family. The series also stars Vanessa Marano, Katie Leclerc, Sean Berdy and more.
