Teen Pregnancy Pact: Symptom of Larger Problem
Reader Comments
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Teenager's point of view
I think kids are having sex because the parent don't care what their children are exposed to anymore. All of the media television songs they listen to and all the advertisements everywhere all are very sexual and teenagers think that stuff is glamorous. To have a sexual relationship would seem glamourous these days!
Bill
The history of teaching absence to prevent premarital sex has shown its a complete and utter failure. In the history of man kind it has never worked. They fail either by lying to children and keeping them in the dark about contraceptives (which makes them ignore the program). Or the idea of driving idology down their throats turns them off.
But the author isn’t arguing for absitence only programs in this article or in the one linked at the end. The author actually spoke in favor of selling discounted contraceptives at college health centers.
Fostering self-esteem however is a completely different matter, With 17 or more girls making a pact to get pregnant intentionally. No sex education or abstinence course will deter them. Your right about that. The mentality that motherhood may be the only future with love or happiness for them is the problem. Its similar to the prom baby deal.
BUT, It's COOL to have a BABY!!!
Personally, I think a LOT of the problem lies in the in the way that our media portrays the stars as mothers. The magzine "gossip" geared media make having a baby look so easy for stars like Britney Spears and others. They show Britney's all over town with her little boy on her hip carrying a starbucks coffee with the lastest pair of designer sunglasses, and Angelina Jolie running all over town with her clan in tow. What todays teenagers do not see is the fact that MOST stars have baby nurses to sit up all night when the newborn wakes up, and nannies(more than one mind you) for ALL daily activities, including diaper changes. They do not see that it really takes being up All night, all day and then some to make it through the first few months, and that you don't always look so fabulous when you step out the door, because you do not have the luxury of someone else caring for little billy, that in reality, you are the one getting thrown up on at the last minute when you walk out the door. I am a young mother and wife and live in uppermiddle class society and could have chosen to have full time nannies for all of my boys, but I DID NOT want someone else raising my child. Those are the best moments in life and should be cherished! These are the luxuries of the stars that give our teenage girls a false sense of what it is like to be a mom. The real experience is much much different.
PARENTS need to do MORE!!!
Parents need to get involved in their children's lives more. Not snooping, but they need to talk with them frankly and openly about safe sex and contraception. Thats the only way to make a difference.
Where does the fault lie?
The fault lies with the parents and families of these CHILDREN. That is what they are, not young adults. Their families need to be more involved in the lives of their CHILDREN while they are still CHILDREN. Let them know that they are loved and needed and worth your time and effort. That is what parents should do for their children. 10 years down the road what are they going say to their children when they ask about why they had them? There are so many things that the parents of these young girls have failed to instill. I'ts a sad comentary on the American family, not just the ones in this high school or this state.
You have it right Ryan of OH. All of it!
The Baby Borrowers
since these girls don't seem like mensa material, maybe watching reality tv might be the way to get through to them. Turn your channels to NBC, Gloucester Mass!
Re: Inspiring
"Decisiveness is a rare thing and these girls have it. If only our government had a fraction of the creativity and resourcefulness these girls have shown in getting pregnant we might actually have jobs and working public institutions."
I'm not sure whether you realize how poorly your sarcasm comes across online, or whether you actually think this was a good idea, but I'll take the trollbait for the sake of discussion.
Decisiveness as a virtue doesn't simply refer to planning and executing. It refers to making good decisions.
These young women went off half-cocked. They made a plan - was it a good one? The average cost of raising a child to 18 years of age was over a hundred thousand dollars when I was growing up (I'm 24 now). You can be certain it's much higher now... where are these girls going to get income to raise these children? What kind of life are they bringing these babies into?
Beyond that, the question of fatherhood and family is called into question. I'm fairly sure that you didn't read through the original story - one of the girls seduced a 24-YEAR-OLD HOMELESS MAN to be the father.
HOMELESS. Are you kidding me? HOMELESS. That girl could have come down with any number of diseases in the meantime, and could in turn pass it to her child in utero. Congratulations - both you and your baby have syphillis and you might be sterile after this. And you have no money. And you have to burden your parents with raising your child.
Not to mention the possibility of not one, but several, statutory rape cases that are pending due to this travesty. These girls made criminals of SEVERAL people, while suffering no penalty themselves.
These girls ruined three sets of lives: their own, their babies', and the lives of the men who I'm sure in some cases were duped. Having seen some of the older high-schoolers walking around my town, it's getting harder and harder to tell which girls are still underage and which aren't. Those beef hormones are... working.
Selfishness. This entire scenario reeks of it, is dripping in it. Using a new life as a teddy bear is horrific in what it implies on the value of life. They weren't feeling hugged enough as a child, so they have one of their own because mommy won't let them see Miley Cyrus this weekend? Boo-hoo, child, boo-hoo. Go read a book about orphans and see how good you have it by comparison.
In conclusion, Wanda: don't tell me about decisiveness and inspiration - you wouldn't know it if it bit you in the ass.
Any girl that takes these kind of measures doesn't have an ounce of common sense. Motherhood is a blessed title and a lifelong responsibility - now cheapened and discarded by some teeny-bopper with a contract written in pink glitter-gel pens.
And any parent that raises such a malleable, selfish and foolish child deserves to go through the hell of raising a toddler all over again; hopefully, they'll get it right the second time around.
I weep for these newborns. I really do.
17 new registered offenders
These young men lives will be destroyed as they are made to register with criminal convictions as offenders. Then the girls and the state will be supporting these new babies cause the fact is a registered offender cannot find work or be treated as a human cause these youth will be in a blanket law system where they are looked at just as horrible as a child rapist like John Coohey. These girls will continue to have sex and enjoy life uncaring they conspired to get pregnant and possibly destroyed lives cause no one holds them accountable. Educate all youth go here please www(.)rickyslife(.)com
