MTV has banned a media campaign of life-affirming, call-for-help commercials produced by Heroic Media which were scheduled to run on the network during May 2011.
MTV notified the press of their decision to pull the call-for-help commercials on May 5, but did not inform Heroic Media until the following afternoon.
An MTV sales representative who notified Heroic Media’s advertising agency of the decision indicated that MTV President Stephen Friedman made the decision.
According to the sales representative, MTV, “Was in the works with doing a partnership with Planned Parenthood and different opportunities for PSA’s when he decided that he did not want to run Heroic Media on MTV.”
Last month, MTV partnered with Planned Parenthood on a promotion called “Get Yourself Tested,” which was promoted on both MTV and Planned Parenthood’s websites.
Planned Parenthood reported performing 332,278 abortions in the United States in 2009. On their website, MTV has listed Planned Parenthood as an adoption referral resource. Planned Parenthood made 977 adoption referrals in 2009.
The newly ‘banned’ commercial, which has been running on MTV since May of 2010 is called “We Can Help” and features a young woman struggling with an unexpected pregnancy. The script follows:
Young Woman: “I’m pregnant.”
Adult Woman: “It happens.”
Young Woman: “I’m afraid.”
Adult Woman: “That’s normal.”
Young Woman: “I’m worried. My boyfriend’s scared, my parents are mad.”
Adult Woman: “Get a grip, people. You’re not alone. We can help.”
Jeannie Kedas, senior vice president at MTV Networks, issued the following official statement to Heroic Media seven days after giving it to the press, “Upon further review, it was hard for us to separate some of the recent tactics of the organization behind the ads themselves, so we have opted to not accept them for air at this time.”
Heroic Media has asked MTV to reconsider this decision and allow Heroic Media and other organizations to make women aware of hopeful alternatives to abortion.
Heroic Media is a faith-based non-profit that reduces abortion by creating a culture of life through television, billboard and internet advertising which connect women in crisis with life-affirming pregnancy centers. In communities where Heroic Media’s commercials have run consistently, abortions have dropped by as much as 20 percent.
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