The Teen Mom franchise has never exactly shied away from controversial topics. After all, it's built on one of the most taboo subjects in America -- teenage sex. Now Teen Mom 2, which is set to premiere on January 21, will tackle the topic of abortion, specifically trouble-plagued star Jenelle Evans' decision to go through with ending a pregnancy.
The 22-year-old has allowed MTV to follow her through everything from teenage pregnancy to drug addiction, from being homeless to the jailhouse. But what prompted her to allow the network to share one of the most personal choices a woman can make? The Stir sat down with Jenelle to find out.
On how MTV came to film the abortion:
MTV was like, "Do you want to film it?" And I said, "Yeah." They said, "Are you sure," and I said, "Yes."
They're like, "OK, you know a lot of backlash is going to come from this." I'm like, "Yeah, I know. It's OK."
On choosing abortion:
At the time, when I filmed it and everything, I didn't know I was going to meet Nathan or have a baby or anything like that. You don't know what the future's going to hold.
At the time I needed to do what I needed to do. I wasn't in the best situation. I was living back at my mom's, just got arrested for a felony charge, and I mean, I was in such a depressed state. It was just ... my body was so out of whack. I was sick, so I went to the doctor for bronchitis, and that's when they told me I was pregnant.
I just couldn't be with Courtland Rogers because he was abusive. He's not a good father figure. He has a child already and he's not involved in their life.
On her regrets:
I don't regret the abortion. I think I'm prepared for the backlash. I just don't want people judging me off the abortion for this new pregnancy. I want them to understand why I did it and where I was at and where I am now and how much better I am now and that it's OK to have a baby now.
On what will happen when her child(ren) find out about the abortion:
I don't think Jace is going to understand right now. I'm going to explain it to him when he sees it or hears about it, but I'm not going to just go tell him.
Jace knows the way I was treated by Courtland. He didn't like Courtland. He said he didn't want Courtland around. It was surprising to me because I didn't think Jace would ever say that about anyone I dated. It threw up a red flag, and yeah, I just needed to get out of that relationship. It was horrible.
source Thestir