In this country, abortion is a reality. It is a legal choice many women make and yet on shows like 16 & Pregnant or Teen Mom, it might as well not exist. Well now 16 and Pregnant Season 3 star Jamie McKay had an abortion and was open about it on Twitter. Her admission ignited a landslide of controversy.
McKay is the mother of Miah who was born in 2010. Apparently she and her boyfriend have not been practicing safe sex and she got pregnant with number two. The other day, she tweeted: "Rest in peace little angel. September 17, 2012" along with an ultrasound picture. Then she admitted she aborted the fetus.
Twitter erupted. Some were furious. Some were supportive. The whole thing was bizarre and worrisome for a lot of reasons, but the reality is, abortion is a choice in this country and McKay made the right one. So why can't that be on TV?
A couple years ago, there was a "special" 16 & Pregnant that showed one of the former stars having an abortion, but in general, the procedure is barely a blip on these girl's radar. It's a choice in this country. It's legal. And yet, it's barely mentioned on TV. Why? Because people flip their lids.
Guess what? It's no one's business. McKay's body is her business. Yes, even if she mentions it on Twitter. If I had a 16-year-old daughter, I would want her to have an abortion. I would want someone in TV showing her that she has THREE choices when she becomes pregnant. Because the reality is she DOES.
No matter what you think of abortion politically or personally, it IS legal in this country, so ignoring it on TV is doing a disservice to all women.
McKay did not have to reveal this. And she also claims she regrets it and made the wrong choice. But you know what? That's her right, too. That's the reality of abortion. People have mixed feelings about it. Some regret it. Some don't. Some are happy they did it. But all are REAL. It is a real choice. So why does MTV ignore it?
As long as abortion is legal, it should be equally represented on Teen Mom.
Do you think 16 & Pregnant should have abortions?
Image via MTV
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Comments 230
I am pro-choice, and have no objections to her having an abortion. But why did you say she made the "right" choice? I don't think in this instance there was a right or wrong choice when it came to having an abortion--just a personal choice that was right for the particular people involved at that time.
while i agree the third option should be discussed more openly on the show, the bottom line is that the show itself picks up on the girls' pregnancies when abortion is no longer an option - most of the girls' aren't filmed until arount 25 - 30 weeks of pregnancy, which is too far gone for abortion. i think that's why they did do the special when they did - to show that there really is a third option, even if it's not one you see a lot of people make.
while i know it is an option, i don't think it necessarily needs to be all over tv though. the last thing i'd want any girl to take away from this show is that abortion is birth control, and i think MTV walks a fine line between showing what the options are, and looking like they support 'abortion as birth control'. it's a touchy subject.
but - a woman's body is hers. no one else has any right to condone or condemn another woman's actions, only her own.
Sarah - what is your article about exactly, which side are you on? You spend a paragraph defending that it's nobodies business and another paragraph defending how you'd like your daughter to see someone on TV showing her she has three choices for a unwanted pregnancy.
Well which is it? Either this girl puts herself in the public eye or she doesn't. If she chooses to show any of the three choices on TV it opens her to comments for and against any of those choices. If it's "nobodies business" than it's ALL nobodies business in which case she should stay out of the public domain entirely.
Well, the show is called 16 & PREGNANT. If you have an abortion, you are no longer pregnant so why would girls who have had an abortion be on the show?