The Young and the Restless’ Abby Isn’t Living In the Real World

On The Young and the Restless, Abby Newman Chancellor wants to have a baby. She’s already lost one, and she’s been waiting for so long. She and Chance were talking parenthood before marriage and debating names on their honeymoon!

The Young and the Restless Commentary

No one is blaming her for being anxious. But we do have one major question that we suspect Abby (Melissa Ordway) hasn’t fully thought through.

Dad Jokes

When Devon (Bryton James) volunteered to help father Abby’s baby, she was delighted. The child would be Kay’s (Jeanne Cooper) great-grandson, and Kay meant so much to Chance. She was his connection to his Chancellor roots after Chance’s father “died.” The match seemed perfect! Family all around!

Race Relations

Abby, Devon, and Mariah (Camryn Grimes) the surrogate gave passing lip service to the fact that the baby would be multiracial. But isn’t it wonderful? What a progressive, modern, happy family they’ll all be together. Really, more Americans should take a lesson from them!

Reality Bites

If Abby and Devon were a couple planning to have a child together, and the child would be multiracial, then he or she would have both parents in their life to talk through any questions that might come up.

But that’s not what’s set to happen. Abby and Chance intend to raise the baby as theirs, with Devon just hanging around, playing the favorite uncle. (Forget that Amanda pushed Devon to spell out exactly what his rights and obligations would be in a legal contract. Amanda is just a lawyer, what does she know?)

Which means that two white parents are intending to raise a part-Black child. (Even if the baby “looks white,” they are still utterly dismissing a part of their heritage that is equally important.)

It would be one thing if they were adopting a child of color. In that case, they would still be creating a problem, but they would be fixing a much larger one. Giving a child who doesn’t have parents a home. In this case, they are deliberately creating a problem… that they don’t seem to have a concrete plan for addressing. The Young and the Restless (YR) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes.