Several of you have heard the rumor that MTV crews have been to my high school to shoot for their show, “Sixteen and Pregnant.” When I first heard the news I was, of course, incredulous. I couldn’t imagine that a girls’ Catholic high school, let alone the diocese, would allow a show like this to be filmed there. Today I received an email not only confirming the rumor, but giving the reason for allowing MTV into the school. The reasoning is actually what I expected it to be; that as a Catholic institution they support the sanctity of life, want to respect the family support and hope to educate other people that may be in a similar situation.
Here is the email in its entirety:
Dear Parents,
On Friday a film crew was on the NDA campus to video one of our students at the request of the student and her parents. The student is pregnant and has chosen to deliver the baby rather than to abort. The family is currently working with MTV on a documentary on teen pregnancy . The parents contacted Sr. Elaine weeks ago to ask if the group could shoot a school segment. Sister spoke to the producers about NDA’s position on life. She was assured that the school’s identification would not be obvious and was promised anonymity within the contract. The teachers and students in the young woman’s classes were asked to sign consent forms before the shoot.
The fall out of the visit has been dramatic. We are hearing from parents, alums, and friends of Notre Dame. We wanted you to know the reason for permitting the shoot.
Notre Dame Academy believes in the sacredness of life and condemns abortion. The parents of the concerned young woman support their daughter’s decision to respect life and want to assist her in sharing her story with other adolescent girls who are facing the same decision. The student and her family are also working with Catholic Social Services to determine the appropriate options, one being open adoption. NDA believes that by respecting this family’s support of life we will educate and help influence other young women who are facing similar circumstances. While we knew that this might result in some controversy, our belief is that if this public story causes one additional young woman to protect a life instead of resorting to an abortion, we were willing to address the questions that might arise. The film follows this young woman through herpregnancy, the school segment being one of many. In an effort to support the student and her parents, permission was given for the filming of the segment here at the school.
We wanted to inform you of our position as soon as possible and Sr. Elaine will be talking to the students on Monday morning. Thank you for your continued prayers and support of Notre Dame Academy.
Sincerely in Notre Dame,
Sr. Mary Shauna and Sr. Elaine Marie
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