Watch the first Pro-Voice show on MTV
Exhale has partnered with MTV, home of the the popular “16 & Pregnant” series, as it ventures into new territory with a special that features young women telling their abortion stories. The special will promote the Exhale web site and will encourage viewers to reach out and talk with someone about their abortion.
Watch: “No Easy Decision” on MTV
December 28th, at 11:30 p.m. East Coast Time, directly after the reunion show of 16 & Pregnant.
(Check local listings)
Announcing Exhale’s “16 & Loved”! campaign:
Several courageous young women – including a previous “16 & Pregnant” subject, Markai – will be featured on MTV’s special telling their personal story with abortion. They’re doing their part to let other young women know: “you are not alone. I’ve been there too.”
Now, it’s time to do our part. We need to make sure these brave young women feel our unconditional love and our support.
With your help, we are launching a major social media campaign to send our love to the guests of the special.
Here is what you can do to spread your love to women who have had abortions:
- Show Some Love Online. We’ve created a new website as an online oasis where you can express your unconditional love and support for these young women and every woman who has had an abortion. Post your personal message of love on 16 & Loved right now!
- Let Love Rule and join blogging stars Jessica Valenti, Lynn Harris & others in conversation as they live-blog the show from our 16 & Loved website.
- Be a Fan for Love on Facebook. Share the love and recruit your friends to our fan page.
- Grow the Love on Twitter. We’ll be talking about story-sharing leading up to the show, and we want you to live-tweet the MTV special with us. Make sure you’re following @ExhaleProVoice on Twitter and use the hashtags: #16andloved and #provoice. Here’s a sample tweet:Help build the #provoice movement: join @ExhaleProVoide in supporting these 3 women! http://bit.ly/16andloved #16andloved
- Give the Gift of Love and make a donation to Exhale. We expect our call volume and web traffic to grow exponentially in the days and weeks after the show airs. Help us meet the new demand and make a donation today.
Together, we will let every young woman who has had an abortion know that she is not alone; she is loved.
Thank you, Exhale, for supporting these wonderful young women and for creating and facilitating a forum that allows all of us to join together in love and appreciation of them and in celebration of their storytelling!
Thank you so so much for this!
I can’t even begin to explain to you how much this means to me, or how much less terrifying it has made this whole experience.
Katie! You are amazing in the special. When the Exhale team watched the show, we were all so impressed with your ability to talk about your range of emotions, and to hold your ground. We’re just glad we got to be a part of making it a Pro-Voice show!
I watched the show online. These stories are important!
Katie, I am so proud of you and all the girls for going public like this. I wish you all the best in your bright future(s).
when i watched the episode of the 16 and pregnant, i was happy to know that ppl have had the same experience and feelings as i do. i still have a hard time to this day about my decision and im scared to talk about it
The no easy decision special on MTV really helped me feel somewhat better about my decision, i checked out the exhale website and i plan on calling tomorrow hoping to find closure
Thank you so much for doing this special!!!!!
This is my story my name is aimee I found out that I was pregnant at the age of 15 not only scared and in shock I was so horrified to even tell my mother I was having sex lead alone let her know her daughter was pregnant. My mom gave me 2 options and said that she’ll be there for me whatever I decide so I thought long in hard for weeks about my options I was 15 not only was I not old enough to get a job I wouldn’t even be able to drive my baby to the dr’s I grew up in a home where we did not have much and I did not want to bring a baby into this world so I went through with the abortion as I sat in the waiting room for 2 hours the palms of my hands where sweating I was so scared but knew this was my best option at such a young age after it was all over I cried and cried the whole 45 min drive home it felt like a part of me was empty that something was missing I was very quite when I got home I slept for 2days I didn’t want to talk about what I was feeling I received the shot and stayed on that for a very long time I was 17 yrs old and I remember just not getting my shot but thinking to myself it couldn’t happen to me again like I was untouchable like it only could happen once (like I said I was 17 a teenager I had dreams I had goals I remember. Telling my boyfriend I didn’t want kids until I was 25 done with collage and had that white picket fenced home that we all dream of and the whole time I was having that conversation I was pregnant again and didn’t even know I was after waving out the options again me and my boyfriend made the decision to go with abortion well it was more of a decision on his part this time then mine so as we drove that 45 min drive to the clinic I never once spoke a word in the car to him because I felt I didn’t have a choice I felt as if his mind was set and I had to go with what he wanted so as I walked into the clinic alone I gave them my name sat down for 20 mins and all alone just a room with other girls with bellys and talking about how this was there 4th and 5th time going through with a abortion and how it was a in and out situation I walked away knowing that I can be brave I can do this whether my boyfriend was going to stick by me or not so I went back in to the car and told him I just couldn’t and guess what he said to me aimee I couldn’t see u go through with that again because truthfully it is a women/girls hardest decision so 13 days before my 18th birthday I became a mom to a wonderful baby girl I found a job 8 weeks after I gave birth I saved almost every penney to get my own place and I worked not only 1 job not 2 jobs but 3 jobs to give my daughter what she so deserved my boyfriend watched her while I worked I payed all the bills and came home to a mess I woke up in the middle of the night sometimes on 3 hours of sleep but everyday I woke up and did it again I had my second daughter when I was 23 6 weeks after giving birth I went to collage and got my cna license I am currently going on 27 I work 2 jobs I am still with there dad it has been 13yrs that we were together and through are ups and downs we have made it I just wish when I was younger there where more about getting pregnant more about what girls go through because everyday of my life is not a breeze it is a struggle and young girls need to know about abortions and the benefits of that choice that they make yes I ask my self that ? Everyday what would my life be if I were 15 and would of had that baby all of the hardship I went through while I was 18 and now I’m 27 I can’t imagine how alone a lot of girls are I just want each and everyone to know and understand it doesn’t matter what ppl think about u with ur choice because at the end of the day when u go to sleep u don’t fall asleep with all of those ppl by your side some of my dearest friends don’t believe in abortion let me tell u abortion made me feel like I could believe that I had dreams I had goals at 15 even though it may of took years for me to get there but next year I start nursing school and that’s all because I believed.
aimee-I’m really touched by your story. Thank you for sharing it. I love the way you encourage us not to be intimidated by other people’s judgments. (We do ‘sleep only’ with ourselves, in that regard!) You sound like a such a devoted mother, and I know you will be a committed and compassionate nurse! All the best!
aimee,
thank you for sharing your story. it took a lot of courage to do that. I’m glad that your abortion helped you to see your dreams more clearly, and to believe that you can do it. How amazing!
I know that you work hard to give your daughters the life you want for them. You are a wonderful mother. Congrats on nursing school!
I’m glad to see the show on MTV. While normally I hate the shows on there these days I have to agree they have finally did a good job with having the 16 and pregnant show and no easy decision. While I got pregnant later in life where I finished college and had a great career going in life I still had to make a choice. I had just received a promotion, relocated to a new state, I had my life in order or so I thought till an unexpected pregnancy occurred 1 month later of this. Caring for a baby and providing was not an option. Even as a grown adult the decision was so difficult. I was surrounded by everyone having babies at the time and having friends that could not get pregnant that were trying. Here I was pregnant with I know a blessing but not a blessing to me. The best option was not to go through having a baby as I could not provide everything a child would need and deserve. It has been 3 years and the decision/choice is still not easy to manage mentally. It was great to see a TV program that was done classy to bring up the topic and show that those of us that made the choice/decision do have a heart and that it will always be with us. I do hope people watch these shows in particular teenages and young adults to ensure they do not end up in the position to have to make a choice/decision as they are not easy to make no matter what decision you choose.
Thank you so much for providing a forum for woman such as myself. At 20 years old I was raped by my first boyfriend, whom I had long been broken up with, and didn’t know what to do. I NEVER thought I would get pregnant. I was ashamed, didn’t want my family to know the circumstances. I had an abortion and it was the most difficulty decision I’ve ever made. I know NOW that is was the best choice for myself. I sometimes wonder “what if” but have no regrets and realize that now I’m a health care professional at 26 years old. I have an amazing life and family, so much to be thankful for. But my secret abortion has always been in the back of my mind, we are so blessed to finally have a place to speak freely about our choices. To be able to share the good and bad, not to be judged. Thank you. Thank you for giving women, especially young women a place to feel loved no matter what choice they make.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this. A year after my abortion I still struggle with anxiety and grief, and I didn’t realize that other women experience that too. I really can’t tell you how comforting it is to feel less alone– and to know that there are people who are unafraid to talk about it publicly. It’s so controversial to talk about, sometimes I forget that it’s not a criminal act. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Susan,
Thank you so much for your respond now a days its very hard I’m so scared to be a mother of two daughters in a world like it is now a days girls are getting to be sexual active younger and younger I fare for my girls when they hit those teenage years but as long as I keep a very open relationship with my daughters I hope that will keep them more focused on there school work then boys.
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To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Lauren and I work at The Center for Women and Families on the Southern Utah University campus. During February, we celebrate our annual Sexual Responsibilities Week. We were hoping to show “Not An Easy Decision” during this week. However, we are not sure who to contact about viewing rights and such. Since this event is educational, on a college campus, and we will not be charging admission for viewing; we are hoping the cost would not be too expensive. If you know who we contact about viewing rights, please contact us. We would greatly appreciate it!
The Center for Women and Families
womenscenter@suu.edu
To everyone – you are all strong, brave, and courageous women. Yet even those few words don’t even put a start to describing the strength that all of you have within you. I commend all of you ladies for making the choice that was right for your bodies, your futures – and ultimately – yourselves. I could ramble on, but I’ll leave this at a short note. You are not alone, and you are loved. We share a common bond as women who have gone through something as heart-wrenching as an abortion. Yet there is solace knowing that even if we’re states and worlds apart, we share a common empathy, a common understanding. And that’s something that no one can berate or take away from us. Having gone through an experience that perhaps allows us to empathize and love just a little bit deeper. It’s places like Exhale that give me, and I hope yourselves as well, just a bit more comfort, and reassurance that our word as strong. independent women is heard.
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