Producers and staff members with the weekly pro-life television show Facing Life Head-On are celebrating after the show was awarded a regional Emmy in the category of Interview and Discussion.
“I believe this is a first for the pro-life movement—receiving an accolade at this level by the media industry, much less the Academy,” said Brad Mattes, host and executive producer of the show.
The show, which is a project of the Life Issues Institute, won the award on the strength of an episode in which Mattes interviewed Missy Davert, a woman who is 2 feet 11 inches tall and has a condition called osteogenesis imperfecta.
Davert, whose condition makes her bones exceptionally brittle (she has had over 200 fractures throughout her life), found out eleven years ago that she was pregnant with twins. Doctors advised Davert and her husband that she should abort one or both of the infants due to the many difficulties that her pregnancy would entail – an option that the tiny, but feisty woman was unwilling to consider.
With the help of Dr. Daniel Wechter, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist based in Saginaw, Michigan, she was able to carry the twins for 32 weeks before giving birth to Austin and Michaela. They are now 10 years old.
“Missy’s story is an inspiration to any woman who may be facing a high-risk pregnancy,” reads a description of the episode on Facing Life Head-On’s website. “With the help and support of Dr. Wechter, Missy was able to defy the odds and give birth to two beautiful children.”
In the acceptance speech at the black-tie award ceremony, Brad Mattes thanked God for allowing him to interview guests that have been such an inspiration to his viewers.
“We thank God for this award,” he has said. “The glory goes to HIM. It’s HIS ministry.”
The award-winning episode may be bought or viewed here.
