by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 29, 2004
New
York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- A representative of a pro-life women's
group was edited out of an upcoming MTV documentary that is scheduled
to air tonight on the youth-oriented music television station.
Former Feminists for Life intern Natalie Nardelli was slated to appear in tonight's "Choose or Lose: Sex, Votes and Higher Power," one in a series of programs designed to educate young adults on political issues in the upcoming elections and to encourage them to vote.
In an email to Nardelli, MTV defended its decision.
"[T]he pro-life bites we ended up using were from an expert who was more representative of the mainstream objection to abortion -- i.e., that it amounts to murder," an MTV executive said.
Serrin Foster, president of Feminists for Life, says MTV's refusal to highlight it's pro-woman, pro-life views furthers the media stereotype that pro-life activists are anti-woman.
"By refusing to include our message that women deserve better than abortion, MTV has chosen to make women the losers," Foster said. "It is very disappointing that MTV will only give voice to people who fit their simplistic, preconceived stereotypes."
MTV told Nardelli that it didn't "have time" to explain FFL's pro-woman perspective on the abortion debate, something the music network referred to as "nuanced objections."
The cable network did not respond to requests for comment from LifeNews.com.
However, Foster says millions of young Americans that MTV targets are already familiar with its progressive message.
The pro-life group has reached hundreds of college campuses with its college outreach program since its launch in 1994, Foster says.
"This audience increasingly questions abortion. They resent being forced into traditional boxes," Foster explained.
"They refuse to choose between women and children—born and unborn," Foster added. "And they demand woman-centered solutions."
Sultry pop singer Christina Aguilera hosts the MTV election program and travels to her hometown of Pittsburgh to find out how young people have been affected by government policies on sexual issues, including abortion.
Aguilera was a celebrity supporter of the April pro-abortion march in Washington, DC that attracted thousands of abortion activists from around the country.
ACTION: Contact MTV at 212-258-8700 with your views.
Related web sites:
Feminists for Life - http://www.feministsforlife.org
MTV - http://www.mtv.com
