‘Murphy’ Episodes Upset Groups

While hardly the equivalent of the ruckus that ensued when the title character had a baby out of wedlock, the ongoing “Murphy Brown” breast cancer story arc has generated a minor stir in certain quarters.

On Monday, the Women’s Healthcare Educational Network took the CBS show to task for a line in last week’s episode regarding a prosthetic breast, in which Murphy joked, “Should I go with Demi Moore or Elsie the Cow?”

The group complained about showing the prosthetics in a negative light, saying that it undermined “the self-confidence of the millions of women who wear external breast forms today, as well as those women facing breast cancer in the future.”

Now groups called the Northwest Center for Health and Safety, and the Coalition for Healthy Communities have contacted CBS to complain about this Wednesday’s episode, which involves Murphy using marijuana for medicinal purposes to deal with the effects of chemotherapy.

A CBS spokeswoman said that the episode is responsibly handled and does not in any way advocate legalizing marijuana for recreational use. In a radio interview last week, federal drug czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey declined to weigh in regarding the program, instead focusing on the broader issues involved.