Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchGenie Francis said in 2023 that she no longer wanted to defend General Hospital’s 1979 Luke and Laura rape storyline. She called it inappropriate and said a woman who says no should be listened to. Her comments address not only the assault, but also the show’s later decision to present Luke and Laura as a romantic couple.
What Genie Francis said in 2023
At an ABC Television Critics Association press event in January 2023, Francis said, “The story was inappropriate, and I don’t condone it.” Fox News reported that she also said, “At 60, I don’t feel the need to defend that anymore,” and, “When a woman says no, she should be listened to.” These remarks are attributed to Francis through Fox News’s account of the event, rather than a published event transcript. Fox News report
![General Hospital: Series One [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51IT54YRsAL._SL160_.jpg)
What happened in the 1979 storyline
The story began in 1979: Luke Spencer, played by Anthony Geary, sexually assaulted Laura, played by Francis. Francis was 17 when she played the scene, according to the reporting. The show later developed Luke and Laura as a romantic couple. That shift is essential to understanding why Francis’s later comments concern both the assault itself and the expectation that she defend the story’s place in the couple’s history. Fox News report
Francis had criticized the scene before
Francis had already spoken against the storyline in the 2020 documentary The Story of Soaps. Daytime Confidential reported that she described the scene as rape, said the contemporary term would be date rape, and said, “They shouldn’t have done it.” Daytime Confidential report
#1 Best Overall
Why the romantic framing matters
Luke and Laura became one of General Hospital’s defining couples, but their later popularity does not change the nature of the original scene. Francis’s comments make that distinction clear: a story can have become part of a celebrated television romance while still depicting sexual assault in a way she rejects. The 1981 wedding illustrates the scale of the couple’s fame: ABC News reported in 2015 that 30 million viewers watched it. That is a historical audience figure reported retrospectively by ABC News, not an independently verified measurement here. ABC News report
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Luke’s place in the show’s history
Anthony Geary, who played Luke, died in December 2025 at age 78, the Associated Press reported. He played the character on and off until 2015 and returned for a cameo in 2017. His death gives the storyline’s legacy a present-day context, but it does not alter Francis’s position on the scene. Associated Press report
Quick Recap
Rank #2
- Product Details: Hardcover: 304 pages
- blisher: Stoddart; 1ST edition (Nov 1995)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1881649407, ISBN-13: 978-1881649403
- Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.9 x 1 inches , Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
