Fake Reality Show "Bump" has Viewers Deciding Which Woman Gets Abortion

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 3, 2010   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Fake Reality Show "Bump" has Viewers Deciding Which Woman Gets Abortion

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 3
, 2010

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A new Internet-based web site reality show called "Bump" is generating intense opposition and controversy. The program is a fake reality show that has viewers deciding which of the pregnant women "contestants" will kill their child an in abortion.

The show is satirical in nature and supposedly inspired by President Barack Obama’s infamous speech to graduating students at Notre Dame.

The creators say they want to spark an honest discussion about abortion and plan to determine the ending of each storyline by comments and discussion from viewers.

Kathryn Jean Lopez, the pro-life editor of National Review Online, responded to the Bump show and the controversy surrounding it.

"I was stuck by two things: 1) How fringe it appears — I don’t think this would fly on a major television network or cable channel, even HBO. And 2) how dehumanizing the whole endeavor seems," she writes.

Lopez is struck by the insensitivity towards human life the contestants display but says it mirrors reality.

"There’s one especially clueless-seeming gal who goes on about Starbursts. It makes it all — the human lives at stake in real-life pregnancies — seem so unreal. Unfortunately, the reality is all too life and death," she writes.

"What scares me about this project is that some desperate, alone young women looking for help of any kind on the Internet are going to happen upon this Bump . . . and I don’t see it helping them any, just contributing to confusion and pain," she concludes.

Bryan Kemper, the president of Stand True ministries, a national pro-life group for youth and young adults, also opined recently on the Bump show. He said he was surprised by his reaction to it.

"I watched the first two episodes looking for something to blast this show about. I have to admit I went into it wanting to hate it. The problem I see is that many who, like me, will want to hate it, might not after watching the show," he said. "I can see people saying that this show is neutral and a good tool for instigating conversation about abortion."

While the show sets up various situations about when it might be advisable for a girl to get an abortion — such as one girl who is in an abusive relationship and another who cheated on her husband who is serving in the military — Kemper says it still results in promoting abortion.

"The problem is that this show is merely pulling on the heartstrings of people by taking them down rabbit trails and away from the core issue of the personhood of the child in the womb. This is a classic debate tactic of pro-abortion activists; they play on the emotions and stay away from the fact that we are talking about the life of a human person," he says.

"While I understand the desire for honest discussion about abortion, it should not be centered around situations in which people may seek one, but rather centered on what abortion is. The discussion needs to be focused on the life and personhood of the child in the womb, the main victim of abortion," he adds.

Kemper says he is "deeply concerned" that the show will water down true abortion discussion.

He is asking pro-life advocates to go to the web site of the show and promote respect for unborn children and better options for women than abortion.

"Don’t be led down rabbit trails, but go and be a loud, loving and firm voice for the babies," he says.

Related web sites (not endorsed by LifeNews.com):
Bump – https://bumptheshow.com

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