Abortion: The Reality Show???
Whether the idea mortifies you or intrigues you, it's out there in cyberspace and it's for real.
The Web-docuseries is called The Bump and it is being described by one source as " Jerry Springer meets Oprah meets American Idol meets Dr. Oz meets . . . America's conscience."
If one of these things doesn't seem to belong (aka American Idol) it's because we haven't gotten to the crux of the show just yet. Each week, a new pregnant woman in a different life circumstance will be presented to the viewers. At the end of the episode, the viewers will decide whether she keeps the baby…or whether she has an abortion.
Now, before you lose your minds, we have to explain: the "pregnant" women are not really with child. They are all just actors.
Are you all breathing again? Okay, good.
Now, the idea of the show supposedly came to the executive producers after President Barack Obama's commencement address at Notre Dame University last year. We're sure it wasn't his intention to have a show made, but he said something that really resonated with the creators of The Bump. Barack said he wanted "to find ways to communicate about a workable solution to the problem of unintended pregnancies."
Consider the lines of communication open.
The creators of The Bump hope the show can "humanize" the debate over abortions by presenting different circumstances to people who have perhaps never considered before constructing their opinion on the subject. Examples of the episodes include a woman who is married but got pregnant after her husband's departure to Iraq, a victim of domestic violence and another woman who just wants to be on a TV show.
The pilot episode premiered yesterday and can be viewed on the show's website as well as YouTube. Viewers are encouraged to comment and discuss each episode in length, though the comments will be monitored "to ensure civility."
This is one hell of social experiment. We think it could spark some really important discussions on the subject…or just get a lot of people really angry.
What do U think?
Jordan In America!
Lindsanity Starts The Week Off Right, pAArtying Hard!
you have gotta be fuckin kidding me right?
wtf
i think anything that helps keep CHOICE alive and an option for women is a good thing. keep your laws off of our bodies. give ALL women access to safe, easy and affordable abortions.
Shit. Here we go!!
It can't be any worse than "Assisted Living"
It all boils down to: does the woman want the baby growing inside her or not?
Hahaha I really had stopped breathing before you said the "kicker", and then "are you all breathing again". Then I laughed.
I'm pro-life, and am still interested in this. So far those all sound like terrible reasons to get abortions though!
I'm all for bring attention to the cause of giving women a choice and not having it be against the law, but i also went through this, its not an easy thing to go through and i suffered from depression from it, i dont this is a good idea at all, to bring this issue to the public by playing around with it is just tacky tacky tacky and shows that people have no respect.
this has nothing to do with the president, it was in Bruno with that stupid Gastieau girl.
heres a CHOICE - keep your snatch closed
Link didn't work let me guess parent advocacy group already got it taken down? Well it seems like a morbid idea, but I get what they are playing at still you'd think there is a better way than THAT.
I think a show on abortion is fantastic. In fact, why don't we start showing the actual abortion procedure on tv, especially when "it" is in the third trimester, afterall, it's not really a human being yet.
how about discriminating gays!
Not necessary. Not interesting.
wtf? Abortion is a private decision. This is ridiculous.
This show is extremely disgusting.
… seems like this show is relying on shock value to get viewers. Big surprise. It'll disappear after the shock wears off and the lunatics blow hot air all over the boards.
I think that this show is a bad idea… not that I think it should be taken off (viewership determines that)… but, really, why should viewers be able to make the decision for the "pregnant woman" (actor)? In real situations, it isn't the public that decides– it's the mother herself. This show doesn't teach us anything but to look at our neighbors and point fingers… which is a shame, because we're already head of the class on that one… I think we need more documentaries on unplanned pregnancies, with real people making their own decisions… maybe it'll scare people into putting a condom on (hopefully Teen Mom has this effect on the MTV crowd)
I almost lost my s….. after reading half of this.. Damn that would be horrific. As long as its acting I dont mind. And Im not debating pro this or that, discussions are never civil in here..
*inhale*
Re: TasteMyRainbow – so you have never and never intend to have sex unless it is strictly for procreation purposes, correct?
I like the idea! I think it sounds interesting and would make me think. However, I think that most of the talk will be clogged up by those uninterested in the actual show and just want to tell us pro-choice supporters how evil and inhuman we are. Just like this blog already has, lol.
I think it's a good idea in all honesty. No person is being harmed. There are truly some people in this world that should not have children.
Get fucking birth control if you don't want to get pregnant!
ive seen the show one of my friends told me about i think it could open peoples eye and show them that CHOICE can be the best depending on your situation its our body our live people need to stop trying to make up other peoples mind if a women choses to have a abortion she has to live with that for the rest of her life and if she has a baby she has to live with that to not the people who run their mouths acting like they noe better
WTF ARE THE THINKING?
it's university of notre dame, not notre dame university.
Re: tigrrrlilly – I agree that people can do whatever they want to her body BUT IMO why should women get access to safe, easy and affordable abortions…….There is a thing called "Birth Control" that is safe, affordable and easy…..and in most places they are free…
Re: Boxy Brown – LOL!!!
Bad idea.
Re: luvstotango – The reality of the (non Jesus freak) world is that in many instances abortion HAS to happen. If a woman is pregnant and does not want to be it is HER life and body and therefore her decision-not yours and not Jesus'. Also, I for one do not want to have my tax money going to clean up the mess left behind when people keep creating kids they don't want, can't afford and can't take care of. I suppose you adopt, foster, and/or help support some of these UNWANTED children??? The ones who already EXIST??? Put your money where your mouth is!
Lastly, yes abortion is terrible and third trimester abortions should only be in case of health issues. If politicians and Supreme Court try and outlaw abortions it would be much MUCH WORSE! If you think legal abortions are bad what about ILLEGAL ones? If you think that won't happen, think again. M.Y.B!!
I think it's almost time for SnuffTV
Re: PreTTy*n*PinK – That would be great if everyone followed your advice but…unfortunately that ain't reality.
i don't believe there is anything wrong with abortion, it's a choice. it affects you, it is your body and for someone else to tell you that you're wrong is ridiculous. i'm not too supportive about a show about it though, it should be a private matter.
and for those who say "get on birth control" it doesn't always work. i am a walking poster child for that! my husband and i have been using condoms and i have been on birth control and now we are expecting our first child. i have even had a friend get pregnant on an iud!
i believe if you consider someone's situation, they should make the best decision for themselves and for their child. if it doesn't affect YOU personally, then it shouldn't matter. it's a private decision.
Re: xtina91710 – sometimes birthcontrol fails. idiot.
Ok I seem to keep hearing several of you say "get birth control". Not that my personal life is anyones business but when I was 19 (I'll be 26 this month) I was on Depo Provera. I took Depo about a year. I used that 'afforadable, available' birth control as you all say. I was responsible. I got pregnant anyways. In the many years since this happened I have personally met SIX other women who have gotten pregnant on the birth control Depo Provera. Not slamming Depo it works for some I guess, they claim its 99.9% effictive. So there are women who do use that 'available, affordable, responsible' birthcontrol and get pregnant anyways. So for all of you who respond "just get on birth control" newsflash that doesnt always work so just shut up
Re: JayRock – thank you! I just finished typing a post about getting pregnant on birthcontrol when i read your post. Well said honey well said
abortion is not a subject to be made light of in some stupid (no doubt male-inspired) "social experiment". i guarantee that no woman who goes through this takes the decision lightly. many suffer depression for years afterward. to create some kind of reality show out of what is probably the most painful moment of a woman's - and in some cases the man's - life is very irresponsible. i hope it never gets off the ground. it's only going to bring out the haters.
it's the university OF notre dame. NOT notre dame university.
Re: LittleKitty – You are right–birth control doesn't always work. And I would like to add that some women become pregnant as the result of being raped. Of course, I suppose those "sluts" should have kept their legs closed or used birth control as well.
Abortion is such a heated topic that many people's feelings are unyielding concerning it. I highly doubt this show will change anyones mind. I am pro-choice and no one will ever be able to change my mind about it. We're all entitled to our own views on the topic. What we aren't entitled to is having the right to tell a woman what she can or can't do with her body.
I love reading through anti-abortion comments. I know who's doorstep to drop my unwanted babies on if abortion ever becomes illegal.
Abortion is murder, women are selfish, if you're gonna lie down then f u.
And rape only covers less than 4% of all abortions, so really theres no excuse. And a show with a bunch of stupid women saying "It's my body" Will make me hurl. It's not your body they're ripping up and throwing away, it's the babies. I really see no argument for pro-choice… they're just being selfish and trying to justify it. And think about this, women fought so hard to be given their rights and now we're taking away a babies right to live.
Re: UmmmNot – What about the babies body? It's inside the women, it's not part of her, so technically it's not up to her to decide if it lives or not.
….although they are actors…..if women dont' want to end up pregnant …then they shouldn't have been on their backs in the first place….and god if u don't want it then give it up for adoption…sheesh..whats wrong with the world…we all might as well start killing each other
Re: adrianaanarky –
While i respect that this is your opinion and everybody has a right to theirs, perhaps read the facts, women have abortions for many reasons, you pointed out rape, i'd like to point out that there is the subject of age, being too young to have a child, or how about financial difficulty? not being able to provide for yourself, let alone a child who would undoubtedly suffer for being born to poor families. Perhaps think of who your words hurt, ok? i can't speak for other women but i speak for me, that what i had to do was the hardest thing i've ever done in my life, but i was one step away from being homeless. Women are not selfish in their choices, so maybe think first of other circumstance before you open your mouth, its not murder.
Again, your allowed to have your own opinions, but maybe think about your comments and who they hurt.
Re: adrianaanarky – Give (unwanted) kids a life then. Adopt!
Then you can bitch.
o no. abortion is traumatizing enuf to begin with. let alone knowing the whole world has what you did in there permanant memory. TERRIBLE IDEA. >> Not intrigued at all, after having a friend live thru it. NOT GOOD!!!!
@adrianaanarky little miss "not yr choice"… yr screen name has a bastardization of the word "anarchy" in it. get off yr high horse, remove yr blinders, and pick up a dictionary.
Abortion is just wrong, if women don't want to get pregnant they should keep their legs closed.
I am all for choice in life - but to make a mockery of that extremely difficult choice by making some bogus reality show out of it? That is just horrific.
i like it, maybe it will show all those hardcore 'pro-life' people that sometimes abortion is the only option for some people
All reality TV is a waste of airwaves. It just shows the rapid decline of civilization and the how many pathetic brainless fools there are out there. Thank you Government for pumping out “educated” idiots. I know this is not the worst show they can come up with; next they’ll have viewers vote on whether criminals are put to death. Not like I give a rat’s shit about abortion or anyone who does/does not have one. It’s a personal choice and not the choice of a bunch of TV brain dead morons. God when will reality TV just fucking DIE?
Re: Debbie3001 – Well in a perfect world that would work and so would birth control. Unfortunately there are way too many STUPID and IGNORANT PEOPLE in the world. Our reality is that people don't fucking think!
Sorry!
what have we come to?? did someone actually think this was in the slightest entertaining??!
what ever happened to social responsibility? what a disgrace
either way- do not exploit this one!!
and as always; Keep Your Rosaries Out Of My Ovaries
"to find ways to communicate about a workable solution to the problem of unintended pregnancies." ???? Oh that Obama, such a genius! Yo, dumbass … they already have that, it's called BIRTH CONTROL!! If you can't use it, keep your f@cking legs shut!
This is retarded because its all acting, if it was real , and it meant a real abortion then ya got a show
Everybody has their own opinions. Yes, it is her body to do whatever she wants with. She may be 14 and want an abortion, not because she was raped, but because she opened her legs. Someone that young should not be having sex, protected or not. My opinion is that you can do whatever you want, its not going to affect me apart from what I pay with taxes. I am not going to be the one that may or may not get depression. I am not going to be the one scarred for life. So the truth is, I don't really care what happens to them. I think its wrong to get an abortion, but we can do whatever we want.
I think this is a brilliant way to make people aware of the circumstances women have to be face with when pregnant. I am very Pro-choice, and I believe that a woman should decide whether or not she is suitable to give birth to a child. There are so many reasons why a child should not be born, and men are not faced with the same struggles as woman. People need to be aware of possible medical complications, and life complications that are associated with it, and not just bundle it in to religion and politics.
Ok…I have yet to view the show, and I am slightly intrigued to view a glimpse of it at least. I am pro abortion. The shows premise sounds like a anti-abortion scheme to "humanize" the action of aborting a fetus. The three scenarios you have outlined all are kind of "captain obvious" leading to the generality of "captain obvious" decisions. Yet, this being sparked by college students why don't they outline a show of a woman being enrolled at a university, having soaring aspirations for a business oriented successful career, and she so happens to have an "unintented pregnancy." Would they claim error in getting a abortion out of selfishness? probably. And that is everything that is wrong with that site and their portrayal of experiments on "humanizing." Stupid