By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The Massachusetts Conference of Bishops has issued a statement demanding that the state defund a new website that promotes sex to minors, describes abortion in misleading terms and emphasizes ways for teens to get an abortion without their parent’s knowledge.
The controversy concerns a website known as MariaTalks.com, which is produced by the AIDS Action Committee with $100,000 in annual grants from the state Department of Health. The site features a fictional 18 year-old hip teen named “Maria” who addresses questions from teens. The topics include sexually transmitted diseases, questions about birth control, same sex relationships, etc. Not only is premarital sexual activity presented as perfectly natural, it is also described in very graphic and inappropriate terms.
Even more offensive is its portrayal of the “hot topic” of abortion, which the site claims is “more common than you think.” It reassures teens that abortion is “safe and effective” and lists none of the known risks, such as the possibility for infection, blood-clotting, injury to the cervix, etc. Instead, it just tells girls that it’s better to get an abortion sooner rather than later.
It also tells girls that there are ways to bypass the parental approval mandated by the state for children under 18. “It may be really hard for you to imagine talking to either your parents or a judge about getting an abortion,” Maria says, “but there are people who can help you through it.”
She makes special note of the fact that Massachusetts state law allows minors to skirt parental approval through a confidential judicial hearing, saying, “I know it sounds crazy . . . this really can be done and young women do this all the time here in Massachusetts.”
Almost no attention is given to the many known psychological effects of abortion. Instead, Maria only refers to a fictional friend who found to be a “difficult decision,” but one that was the “best choice” for herself, her boyfriend, and her future.
While making abortion seem like the best and easiest solution, it describes adoption as being “pretty tough for some people, especially emotionally.”
The site has sparked an enormous outcry from all corners of Massachusetts, including state legislators, family groups, pro-life organizations and, most recently, the state’s Catholic bishops.
“This website employs demeaning and sexually explicit terminology, an approach that rightly deserves the criticism it is receiving,” the bishops said in a recent statement. “This tactic only succeeds in talking down to minors under the mistaken assumption that the young are incapable of responding positively to challenging and uplifting appeals to their better nature.”
The website, the bishops added, “promotes an overall message that sexual conduct for unmarried minors is acceptable whenever it ‘feels right.’ Additionally, the website describes abortion in misleadingly opaque terms, touting the procedure as ‘easier than you think,’ and emphasizes ways to obtain an abortion without parental knowledge. The website fails to acknowledge that many women, especially those undergoing an abortion in their teenage years, suffer long term negative consequences. Furthermore, the website limits the list of available resources to organizations that advocate for or provide abortion and contraception.”
The bishops say they strongly support and join with the many state legislators who are urging the state to eliminate funding for the website, and to see that it is taken down.
“The state should work together with all sectors of the community, not just those with a vested interest in offering teens contraception and abortion, to find solutions that respect the dignity of young people and their capacity to make good and wholesome choices.”
State health officials insisted their goal was to make accurate health information available to the public and said they felt the site was an “important tool to help us do that.”
While the state has not acted on demands to scrub the site and its funding, MariaTalks.com was reportedly “down” for a few hours on April 28 and resurfaced with some of the offensive language removed.
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