MTV to Air Abortion Special, Media Yawn
MTV aims to make a profit airing a show about a pregnant teen deciding to abort her baby, and the best media writers can muster is to call it a “sensitive issue.”
An MTV Special to be aired at 11:30pm Dec. 28, “No Easy Decision” is a half-hour program that follows a teen mom's tragic decision to abort her child. The media coverage leading up to the program's air date has merely glossed over the murderous reality that is abortion, and used terms like “sensitive issue,” “wrenching decision” and “ostracized party guest” to downplay the severity of infanticide.
The most egregious example of glossing over the impact of abortion comes from Linda Lowen at about.com. Lowen twists the media's lack of interest in abortion into some fantasy victimhood like a socially awkward teen at a party.
“If the TV and film industry threw a party and invited all of the biggest social ills – alcoholism, drug addiction, domestic violence, rape, drunk driving, infidelity, bullying, child pornography – as guests, abortion would be persona non grata, the unwanted person,” Lowen wrote. “That's because in the world of mainstream media, depicting abortion on film or TV is akin to inviting a socially ostracized party guest whose mere presence is guaranteed to start a fight.”
Willa Paskin of New York Magazine casually mentions that abortions are considered “taboo” and that the teen featured on the special has pregnancy decision to make. “[The MTV Special] will focus on Markai, a young woman who appeared in16 and Pregnant, as she decides what to do about her second pregnancy,” Paskin wrote. “Abortion has generally been taboo on television (with characters having miscarriages or changes of heart instead, though they've become a little more common of late), and the late air time is a nod to that.”
Sunny Pepper at Examiner.com at least acknowledged that there are consequences to an abortion, but failed to acknowledge the loss of life in the process. “With its new special, 'No Easy Decision', MTV will document the decision-making and consequences following a young teen who wrenches with the decision of abortion after getting pregnant a second time.”
Entertainment Weekly's Jennifer Armstrong described a teen's decision as a “sensitive issue” and called it the ending of a pregnancy instead of loss of life. “After documenting dozens of teen mothers' heart-wrenching stories via its hit '16 and Pregnant' and 'Teen Mom' series, MTV will tackle the sensitive issue of abortion with a separate special called 'No Easy Decision,' EW has learned exclusively,” Armstrong wrote. “Dr. Drew Pinsky will also talk with young women who, like 27 percent of teens who end up with unplanned pregnancies, have chosen to end them.” Her article was also linked to on CNN.com
Nice that these media writers choose to characterize the killing of a human being as “no easy decision” or “sensitive issue” – lip service to appease those opposed to infanticide.
MTV has done this special in direct collaboration with Exhale, a non-profit post-abortion support group that will feature live blogging and a twitter campaign during the special's airing.
