Posts Tagged ‘MTV’

Last Tuesday, MTV aired a special episode of its wildly popular TV show, “16 and Pregnant”.  The show typically follows a young woman (usually between 15 and 17) and her family and/or partner from about five months into an unplanned pregnancy to a few months after the baby’s birth. Two seasons in and almost every teenager on the show ends up has chosen to parent with just a handful of teens giving their babies up for adoption.

Up until now, the option of having an abortion had been completely missing from the show’s dialogue other than a few off-hand references here and there as to why that particular teen didn’t have an abortion. (Unfortunately the reasons often seem to be pressure from her family or partner.)

The fact is that at least one in four teen pregnancies end in abortion although exact numbers are hard to come by due to patient confidentiality and the social stigma attached to abortion. Some research puts the number closer to one-third. This being the case, an honest dialogue about choosing abortion is one that the show desperately needed to open after 25 episodes.

The full episode of “16 and Pregnant: No Easy Decision” special is available for viewing on-line and is well worth a half hour.

The episode follows Markai and her boyfriend, James, who were on this season of “16 and Pregnant”. On their original episode that aired last month, the decision was made to carry the pregnancy to term and become parents. Unfortunately, like 28% of North Carolina teens who experience repeat teen pregnancies, Markai became pregnant a second time when her daughter was just eight months old.

“No Easy Decision” follows Markai and James through their very emotional and difficult decision to have an abortion in order to give their daughter the life they want her to have. A panel discussion facilitated by Dr. Drew Pinsky (an MTV regular) introduces us to Katie and Natalia who both chose abortion for their own personal reasons that they share on the show. With them, we learn about the reasons for their decisions, the emotions they experienced afterward and why they felt the need to come forward.

Going in, I wasn’t sure what to expect but just hoped that the show would live up to its title and MTV would do a good job of dispelling the myth that abortion is a decision that women take lightly and with a cavalier attitude. I have to say that my expectations were exceeded.

The take home message was really one of personal choice, autonomy, love, and non-judgment. Each young woman made what she felt was the right decision for herself and her family. Some of the conversations felt a bit scripted at times but the deeply felt emotions on display were always honest.

I’ve not always been the biggest fan of MTV but I have to give them credit for addressing the issue of abortion in a real and honest way when no other network seems brave enough to do so. It is gratifying to see a messenger like MTV actively working to reduce the stigma and shame that surrounds abortion. In a country where one in three women will have an abortion in her lifetime, it’s high time that we were able to talk openly about it as a society.

Not surprisingly, anti-choice bloggers took issue with the episode’s very existence before it even aired claiming “false and dangerous contraceptive propaganda” on the show’s website among other things…. Ummm, what? Judge for yourself here http://www.itsyoursexlife.com/

This also means that these young women who bravely came forward may become targets for people who would prefer that women who choose abortion stay hidden and ashamed. The good news is that a website called “16 and Loved” has been set up for viewers to express their support and encouragement of these courageous women. Show your love at http://16andloved.com/ and be sure to watch the full episode!

You most likely haven’t thought of earning a badge since your girl scout or boy scout days.

Unless of course, you use foursquare-a service where you earn points and badges by sharing your location with friends.

This week MTV and Foursquare announced they will be introducing a badge that will encourage people to check-in when they get tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

This new partnership builds upon the long running campaign, GYT- Get Yourself Tested, which is a collaborative effort by MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

What is GYT? GYT is about creating a youthful, empowering social movement around getting tested for STDs.  GYT presents testing as an act of pride, not shame- promoting open communication about STDs and encouraging your people to ask to be tested.

The GYT badge, why and how do you get it:
First the why: 1) you’re a social networking star with as many friends, followers, fans, etc as Robert Patterson,  2) you’re a reproductive rights advocate who thinks, “Of course, everyone should get tested, duh!!!” and 3) you want to win a trip for two to NYC to watch a taping of MTV’s “10 on top.”

Ok, now for the how: 1)sign up for foursquare on your smartphone. (doesn’t work without a smartphone, maybe that should be number 1,)  2) follow MTV on foursquare,  3) head to a local testing center and then check in on foursquare (you can text your zipcode to GYTNOW to get the location of the nearest testing center.)

how do you feel about foursquare in general and particularly around STD testing?  Check out Digits blog on the subject.  I’m thinking this pushes the envelope.