MTV Special—though pro-abortion—revealed the Grief and Regret Involved

Kathleen Gilbert : Jan 7, 2011
LifeSiteNews.com

"This is the paradox of America's unborn. No life is so desperately sought after, so hungrily desired, so carefully nurtured. And yet no life is so legally unprotected, and so frequently destroyed."

An emotional half-hour reality special that aired on MTV last week revolved around three people—a young woman, her boyfriend, and the "little ball of cells" that would have called them mom and dad. But by the end of the show, only two of those people remained.

The brief episode featured Markai Durham, one of the teen girls from the series 16 and pregnant. It followed her agonized steps towards aborting her child after she missed a Depo-provera shot and became pregnant. Fearing another baby while saving for college, the teen, who believed adoption would be too painful, was convinced by a friend, her boyfriend, and her mother that she would not be able to handle keeping the child.

The reaction to the show, entitled No Easy Decision, was fierce and began even before it was aired. While pro-abortion organizations and commentators heaped praise on the program, pro-life leaders expressed compassion and grief for the young mother, whose tears they said testified to the post-abortive grief that she suffered.

In an interview after the abortion, Markai said that it "hurt" to watch her decision over again on video, and expressed her sadness. "You remember. You can't forget," she said, and cried several times.

The special was hailed by pro-abortion advocates as providing a needed counter-narrative to the shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, where mothers kept their unborn children. The Jezebel blog said the spot "didn't disappoint;" Salon's Lynn Harris said MTV "nailed it" for presenting the "many-sided truth" about abortion.

Pro-lifers, however, disagreed that the issue was handled even-handedly. Pro-life blogger Jill Stanek pointed out before the show aired that MTV collaborated with a pro-abortion counseling group to create the episode, and that the No Easy Decision website links only to pro-abortion groups.

Despite the program's clear "pro-abortion" bent, it presented a raw display of Markai's agony as she felt increasingly trapped into accepting the abortion. "I knew that abortion was, like, out there, I just never thought it would have been the option for me," Markai says at first, and vents to her friend that "I'm in love with this baby already."

"We made the decision but, like, I wonder if we could have made a better [one]," she says after the procedure.

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