2008 Woodie Awards
Taking a pregnant pause
Avivah Furman
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Op/Ed
In 2008, it was reported that nearly half of all pregnancies are accidental. Four out of every ten of these unintentional pregnancies are terminated by abortion. Fifty percent of these women obtaining abortions are under the age of twenty five; women aged twenty to twenty four secure thirty-three percent of all abortions, while teenagers acquire seventeen percent. However, the number of abortions in this country is on a steady decline since 1981. What could be the cause of this regression?
On January 22, Muhlenberg's Gay-Straight Alliance, The Allentown Women's Center, Planned Parenthood of Northeast PA, and Duvall Reproductive Freedom Project of the ACLU-PA sponsored a celebration of the thirty fifth anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. A screening of "Motherless" was shown prior to a heated question and answer section. The filmmakers and activists for "Motherless" pointed a finger at current media, which discourages and ignores the possibility of abortion. Films like "Juno" and "Knocked Up" depict their strong, amiable female characters cowering in the face of abortion. The thought of killing this living thing inside them is sickening and out of the question. So, they go on to have their babies and everything turns out all right, regardless of their companionship, age, or socioeconomic state.
Yet, what about those who face the reality of raising a child with little to no resources? Those single mothers left to fend for themselves in a harsh world? The media does little to comfort them when they hit reality and even less to educate them before they find themselves being called 'mommy'. Seventy-five percent of media in 1999-2000 contained sexual acts. Out of this seventy-five, only fifteen percent mention the notion of waiting, protection, or consequences. Sexual acts appear once every four minutes on network TV, and "ninety eight percent of all [that]sexual content [shows] no subsequent physical consequences". Eighty-five percent of sexual behavior within the media is depicted free of bothersome lasting "emotional impact," reports the Center for Media and Public Affairs. When was the last time a smoldering leading man stopped in the middle of a steamy love scene to ask if his partner was on birth control, or slip on a condom?
On January 22, Muhlenberg's Gay-Straight Alliance, The Allentown Women's Center, Planned Parenthood of Northeast PA, and Duvall Reproductive Freedom Project of the ACLU-PA sponsored a celebration of the thirty fifth anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. A screening of "Motherless" was shown prior to a heated question and answer section. The filmmakers and activists for "Motherless" pointed a finger at current media, which discourages and ignores the possibility of abortion. Films like "Juno" and "Knocked Up" depict their strong, amiable female characters cowering in the face of abortion. The thought of killing this living thing inside them is sickening and out of the question. So, they go on to have their babies and everything turns out all right, regardless of their companionship, age, or socioeconomic state.
Yet, what about those who face the reality of raising a child with little to no resources? Those single mothers left to fend for themselves in a harsh world? The media does little to comfort them when they hit reality and even less to educate them before they find themselves being called 'mommy'. Seventy-five percent of media in 1999-2000 contained sexual acts. Out of this seventy-five, only fifteen percent mention the notion of waiting, protection, or consequences. Sexual acts appear once every four minutes on network TV, and "ninety eight percent of all [that]sexual content [shows] no subsequent physical consequences". Eighty-five percent of sexual behavior within the media is depicted free of bothersome lasting "emotional impact," reports the Center for Media and Public Affairs. When was the last time a smoldering leading man stopped in the middle of a steamy love scene to ask if his partner was on birth control, or slip on a condom?