Love Is Blind's Bartise Bowden has admitted his personal stance on the polarizing topic of abortion has changed. Bartise, who notoriously had no filter and wasn't afraid to speak his mind during Love Is Blind season 3, first discussed the morality of abortion with his ex-fiance, Nancy Rodriguez, during the show. Nancy, who is a speech pathologist, shared her personal experiences in her line of work that have impacted her stance on abortion. When Nancy then asked Bartise where he stood on abortion, he quickly replied that he was generally opposed. While Bartise eventually seemed to agree that some instances of abortion are okay, Nancy was adamant that the choice remains only with women over their own bodies.
Bartise has received a huge amount of criticism from fans over how badly he treated Nancy during Love Is Blind's filming. Many felt that he demonstrated very little respect for women, in general, and his position on abortion only supported that idea for many viewers. During a guest appearance on the Talk'R podcast, Bartise addressed some of these negative perceptions and explained how he was learned and changed since his experience meeting Nancy in the pods.
On the topic of abortion in particular, Bartise admitted that during the show he wasn't "anywhere near mature enough to be talking about this," and stated that his stance has almost completely changed in the time since.
Bartise Claims Dating Other Women Helped Change His Perspective
During the podcast, Bartise also admitted that he has dated other women since his relationship with Nancy, and some of them shared very personal experiences with abortion that helped to change his position. Bartise's comments on Love is Blind, soon to be airing season 4, were always something that impacted his relationship with Nancy, but it seems that he is putting in the effort to grow and learn from his relationships. He went on to explain he has "learned a lot more about the human body," and that what women who have abortions go through is "something that I will never have to do, thankfully." Although he did not specifically offer Nancy an apology, he did make clear that he now understands where she was coming from and agrees with her that the choice should remain up to the women whose bodies will be affected.
While few fans were surprised that Bartise and Nancy didn't work out, their relationship was the catalyst for a series of debates between the Love Is Blind fanbase, including over the morality of abortion. The topic was a particularly sensitive one for many viewers after the United States' overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. After Love Is Blind season 3 aired, Nancy actually stated in an interview that Bartise used her "opinions against her," and was just looking for specific things to be upset about in their relationship. Although Bartise's actual intentions can't be confirmed without a personal statement, it did seem that he was looking for ways out of their relationship during the show. Nancy seemed to be a great partner, and Bartise lacked the maturity to admit the physical attraction was not there for him.
Love Is Blind has been criticized for a lack of focus on what really makes strong relationships. Some fans argue that the show is only successful when the engaged pairs do find one another physically attractive once they have the opportunity to meet. Others believe shows like Big Brother create longer-lasting relationships because they offer an environment where trust is key. Love Is Blind provides the perfect environment for the cast to be on their best behavior in the pods in order to make a connection, then let their true colors show after an engagement has already taken place. Bartise's blindside of Nancy is a great example of how Love Is Blind cultivates a lack of trust between the couples.
Source: Talk'R/Youtube