Megan Tackney, Outreach Manager for Health and Reproductive Rights

by Megan Tackney, Acting Outreach Manager
National Women's Law Center

I'm a 26-year-old feminist working on the communications team at a women's rights organization. I write and work to encourage others to take action on behalf of women's rights—particularly those of low income women.

As you might imagine, I'm constantly surrounded by campaign plans, ads, and slogans that are meant to inspire. I enjoy the work, but I'm so inundated with these messages that it takes a lot to really force me to reevaluate my stance on an issue. But last week, I found myself drawn to an ad that did just that. I watched it over and over, so proud of its spokesperson. She caught my attention. She encouraged me to take action. She was Bristol Palin.

Bristol's ad about the realities of teen pregnancy shows her speaking honestly about how her fame and wealth carried her through what could have been a very difficult teen pregnancy. Bristol, daughter of conservative former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, openly admits that her own fate was heavily influenced by her privilege. She could have ended up in the "dark room" shown in the ad. She could have ended up poor or alone or criticized. But she didn't.

by Megan Tackney, Program Associate, 
National Women's Law Center

We would like to give Ms. Tebow a one-person-in-a-quiet-room round of applause for having the opportunity to make the choice that was right for her.

Recently, CBS has found itself front and center in a debate over an ad about abortion to be run during the Super Bowl by the controversial organization, Focus on the Family. The ad features Pam Tebow, mother of football player Tim Tebow, talking about her decision to continue her pregnancy even after doctors told her that her life was in danger if she went through with the pregnancy.

Ms. Tebow had an important decision to make that many women face every day. Provided with her options, she chose to keep the pregnancy. In coming forward and describing her experience, we would like to say: thank you Ms. Tebow (and CBS) for reminding us how hard that choice must have been for you. We hope that you will not forget to highlight the part of your story where you were asked, “What do you think you should do?” In the chaos of script writing, please don’t skip over that line about the choice you were given.