MTV Will Air Abortion Special Tonight
MTV will air "No Easy Decision" tonight at 11:30.
The television landscape will change tonight at 11:30 pm, when MTV will air No Easy Decision, a one-hour special following Markai and James from the second season of the reality show 16 and Pregnant “as they wrestle with how to handle Markai’s second pregnancy less than a year after giving birth to daughter Za’karia,” according to Entertainment Weekly.
Markai and James decide to end their pregnancy at the six week mark, and the show follows their journey from their “heartwrenching discussions” about the abortion through “a post-procedure argument” during which Markai snaps at James, saying, “You will never feel my pain.” Entertainment Weekly says, “while pro-life critics will likely find fault with the show just for existing, no one can accuse the documentarians of making abortion look easy or fun.”
A handful of television characters have had abortions since the 70′s, most notably Maude in the eponymous sitcom spinoff of All in the Family. This summer, Becky decided to have an abortion on Texan football drama Friday Night Lights. But this is the first time a televised special will focus solely on a real-life teen terminating a pregnancy.
Entertainment Weekly notes, “With one in three women ending a pregnancy sometime in their lives, it’s certainly worth exploring in detail — and with the heated controversy surrounding the issue, it’s hard to overstate how courageous it is for these girls to share their stories with the world.” Markai’s courage would seem less dubious if she hadn’t already appeared on reality TV, so I’m not entirely sure her motives are pure. (After all, true reality stardom can’t be achieved if you don’t stay in people’s living rooms.) That being said, though, I think there’s an even more controversial issue at hand here, and that is whether or not the decision to have an abortion should be portrayed as such a difficult struggle. Many would argue that it’s unfair to show a young girl tortured by her decision to end an unwanted pregnancy, and that doing so will only serve to stigmatize the procedure, rather than enlighten anyone about their reproductive rights.
As I’ve stated whenever this issue has come up here on Strollerderby, I am firmly pro-choice, and typically there have only been a few scenarios in which I could imagine myself having an abortion. As I get older – as my daughter gets older – and my identity as a single person continues to solidify, though, I face circumstances for the first time, really, that could potentially result in me terminating an unwanted pregnancy. I don’t imagine it would be an easy decision, but I think it would be easier certainly than if I were married and was suddenly surprised by a pregnancy.
I can’t help but wonder whether or not No Easy Decision will serve to foster an open dialogue about abortion, or simply reinforce stereotypes that conservatives already have cemented in their minds. Because Markai ultimately feels torn about her decision, conservatives will argue that abortion is a horrendous act of murder. And what will liberals get out of this? I can’t imagine much. I don’t know what Markai and James will get out of this experience either, except maybe 15 more minutes of fame in a world that glorifies personal angst as entertainment.
What do you think?
Image: MTV
Please tell whoever is in charge of design around here to go back to the old format so that entire posts appear in readers, as opposed to just the first few lines. You’re going to lose a lot of readers if everyone has to click through to the website in order to read posts.
This is a touchy subject. Since MTV is doing it I don’t have much faith in the care/concern put into the show or the motives behind it.
I hope and pray that someone is there for the poor girl regardless. I know too many women that I’m close to who had an abortion , regretted it and were deeply affected emotionally by it.
BTW I didn’t have time getting to this article but clicked through from Twitter.
Yes, do fix the format. This one sucks.
But about the actual post…
I’m pro-life, an unashamed Teen Mom/16 and Pregnant viewer and I DON’T have any issue with this show just for existing. I’m glad it’s out there. I’m saddened that Markai went through what was a clearly painful experience, that she felt it was her best choice, and that her baby is gone. But if it had to happen, I think honesty is always the best policy. MTV didn’t portray the abortion as a difficult struggle; it actually was and they showed it. The question shouldn’t be “Is it fair to show a young girl tortured by her decision” but “is it honest?”. Honesty is always fair. It’s the same way with the other difficult decisions on Teen Mom/16 and Pregnant. It’s not about whether it was fair to show that backlash and grief that Catelynn suffered after giving her baby up for adoption; it’s about whether it was honest. And it was, where a lot of pro-life/pro-adoption sources have always glossed over it. That after-the-fact honesty is my absolute favorite thing about this series. I read an awful lot about adoption and abortion when I was facing an unwanted pregnancy at 17, and what always upset me is that a lot of the accounts just stopped a few weeks after either the adoption or the abortion, just a vague “It was the hardest decision I ever had to make, but the right one for me”
Should MTV also show young women for whom an abortion is not a big deal? Sure, if they happen to come across such young women, and they want to tell their stories. But…I don’t know that many. The women I know who’ve chosen to talk about abortion with me, even those who maintain that it was the right choice, all struggled with the choice. A lot. And had fights in which they lobbed the sort of comments you quoted Markai as saying. But really I don’t think MTV is actively looking for either type of abortion story…they came across the Real World abortion in the 90s by accident, and I imagine they came upon this one by accident….I would think they were following Markai and James for another Teen Mom season, rather than just for the abortion. People who are pro-choice should absolutely be in favor of girls and women getting all the info, including graphic accounts of abortions, pregnancy complications, adoption issues and parenting, that they need to make the most informed, best choice.
As far as whether it will foster an open dialogue or cement stereotypes…A lot social conservatives actually hold the stereotype that pro-choicers think abortion is just no big deal, that women are cavalier about it, so this would actually help that.
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for your input. Comment counts and the ability to navigate between posts without returning to the Strollerderby main page should appear this week.
Best,
Margaret
I don’t think I’ll watch this program, but I will say that sometimes MTV surprises us and handles such a serious and timely topic with the appropriate gravitas. And I will say that it takes a lot of nerve to tell people you’ve had an abortion. I can’t imagine being a teenager and telling the whole world. I hope the show is done well. It has the potential to be educational and thought-provoking.
Having always been open about sex, safe sex and sex education, STI’s, etc., I was mortified to learn that my teenage daughter had secretly had an abortion without my input. She had complications following the procedure and is on a self-destructive path dealing with her grief, although she refuses to seek counselling. I just wring my hands and watch her deal with the fall-out of her decision, daily. I am pro-choice, but sometimes I think it would have been better for her to have had that baby. It seems to me that at least a baby brings joy.
I don’t so much have an issue with the MTV airing this episode as I do with the girl featured in the show. It makes me both sad and angry that she didn’t change her behavior after getting pregnant the first time. I hope she has learned her lesson and that other teens can learn from her story.
Please rethink the formatting. So hard to navigate. And a pet peeve – there is now no way to know if a post has comments from the front page. I read in part to hear what others have to say on a given topic and I’m just not going to bother clicking through on everything just in case.
Hi Betty,
Thanks so much for your feedback. Comment counts on both the main page and individual posts should appear this week.
Best,
Margaret Wheeler Johnson
Editor
I am concerned for this girl’s safety. Pro-lifers extremist seem to awfully violent.
Yes, PLEASE change back to the old format.