Teen Trend: Pregnancy Pact?

Teen Trend: Pregnancy Pact?

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Teens made pact to get pregnant.

At Gloucester High School in Massachusetts, teens are getting pregnant at an alarmingly high rate. In fact, 17 girls in the school of 1,200 got pregnant this year alone. An article in Time magazine says that nearly half of the girls who are pregnant, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together.

School officials first noticed an unusual number of girls visiting the school nurse for pregnancy tests. Principal Joseph Sullivan says that many reacted to news of their pregnancies with high-fives and baby shower plans. Girls whose tests were negative seemed disappointed by the news. And it was recently discovered that one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless man.

We called Bill Albert, spokesman and chief program officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, to find out just how common this is.

"Although almost nine out of 10 teen pregnancies are still unplanned, there is a significant minority of teens who seek to get pregnant," he says. "However, the pregnancy pact--where girls agree to get pregnant and raise their children together--is a quite new and distressing trend. Just the fact that such a pact exists underscores how ill-prepared these girls really are for motherhood. Any mother in America can tell you how difficult being a mom really is and how it's not something to be entered into lightly. The fact these teens think they will 'raise the babies together' shows you how out of touch with the realities of parenthood they really are."

Albert says news of this 'pregnancy pact' should be a wake-up call to parents...and that it's just the tip of the iceberg. "Two weeks ago, the CDC said that the decline of teen sexual activity and the increase of teen contraceptive use we've seen in the past few years has come to a complete standstill now," he says. "And it was recently announced that the teen birth rate had increased for the first time in 15 years. These statistics may indicate we're moving backwards, and that's what parents should be really alarmed about."

He says all this emphasizes how important it is to discuss relationships, love, sex, pregnancy, and family formation with your kids sooner than later. "This should be the 18-year discussion that never ends," Albert stresses.

Rather than sitting kids down at 14 or 15 and explaining the "birds and the bees" in one long, awkward conversation (which Albert feels isn't effective, anyway), he says parents should start these conversations earlier than they think. "I'm not saying you need to discuss contraceptives with an 8-year-old," he adds, "but that is a good time to start discussing what a good relationship is, and how to respect a boy or a girl."

When it comes to communicating about love and sex with your kids, Albert says it's important to take baby steps and to send small signals over a long period of time. "You would never ignore how a kid does in school from kindergarten to seventh grade, but suddenly come up to him in eighth grade and say, 'You have to take school seriously.' That's a message you send kids over years and years," he says. "Discussions about love, sex, pregnancy, and family formation are really the same way. It's critical to send age-appropriate signals at different times."

When moms do discuss love and sex, are kids even listening? Yes, says Albert. "All the polls and studies that have been done indicate that the people who most influence teens' decisions about love and sex are not their friends, or their boyfriends or girlfriends...it's their parents," he explains. "Teens are yearning for your guidance from you, even if it doesn't seem like they are."

But for the 17 teen moms-to-be at Gloucester High School, it's too late for discussion. And now the school, which even has an on-site daycare center for students' offspring, is at odds over what to do next. The school committee plans to vote later this summer on whether or not to provide contraceptives to students. However, many parents oppose that notion.

Do you think Gloucester High School should give birth control to students?

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i think the things that’s amazing to me is that these were PLANNED pregnancies. during my junior year of high school (i graduated in 2003), there were 14 pregnancies that the administration was aware of (i’m sure there were more that they didn’t know about too!) and we had less than 1000 students in the school. i grew up in a generic middle-class suburban area w/ lots of diversity. obviously some neighborhoods had more money than others, as is always the case. my point is that while there’s a large increase from the previous year at the school in the article, the sheer numbers aren’t that shocking to me. i’m more in awe that these girls PLANNED this. as a young mom, i just had to shake my head while i read. having a baby is hard work, and while it can be fun, it’s not always like that. i love every second of being a mom, but it has certainly come w/ its trials. i sincerely hope these girls can provide good lives for their children, since no child deserves to have a hard life. i only wish these soon-to-be moms get a clue about the situation they’ve put themselves in BEFORE these babies make their way in the world.

- evelyn

Posted 06/21/08 10:17 PM

giving students contraceptives… is probably the smartest thing any school has ever done. I came from a school that had an abstence only education program and there were so many girls that had kids before they graduated.. IF they graduated

- Anonymous

Posted 06/22/08 12:13 PM

wow sounds like something maury would be all over. i think schools still shouldn’t give out birth control but teach kids about it and condoms and different kinds of birth controls, and if there isn’t a planned parenthood around even give out free condoms to students who ask. it is better for kids to know about this stuff and have a way to get them then to tell them no just don’t have sex and hope they don’t cause that is unrealistic.

- RNM

Posted 06/22/08 12:43 PM

YES the school should provide birth control. The easier it is for teens to have access to it, the less likely they are to get pregnant. As for the girls that are ALREADY pregnant…they’re not a lost cause just yet. MAYBE they can be convinced not to have MORE kids.

- Anonymous

Posted 06/24/08 07:33 PM

It is so important to stress safe sex… I realize that these girls we’re trying to get pregnant, but look at their influences? The big thing in the media right now is making babies, every time we turn around an other young celebrity is popping out a baby. I can definitly see where this has sprung from. Talking to your child about safe sex, pregnancy and the risks of contracting an STD is extremely important, I really think there is a lack of parenting here and a problem with the education system for not teaching these children from the get go. If a teenager is in need of some form of contraceptive, that should be used as a red flag to talk about the above mentioned topics (safe sex and blah blah) Its pretty alarming that these young girls want to throw their lives away by having children at such a young age, but what I think is worse is the harm they will be causing their bodies by having sex at such a young age and carrying the babies. I’m sorry, this article really worries me.

- K

Posted 07/03/08 08:10 PM

this story really blew my mind. but i do relate where these girls are coming from…….. as i was a high school student myself with a boyfriend of three years by my side. we talked of marriage and having a baby in our scond year of high school. iwas using birth control at the time. and thankfully we didnt follow through this plan because i now realize that it wasnt what i wanted out of life. at such a young age my child wouldnt have the things i would want it to have. and now have a husband and a baby on the way and can fuly care for a child. i am glad i waited and have support from the father. there are so many ppl out there trying for children and not able to. maybe of these girls change their mind through out their pregnancy they could choose adoption. and make a couple thats able to care for a child very happy. or these girls may end up doing a great job and is able to care for their child. some may by be in for a rude awaking about mommy hood. i hope there is a follow up story and the babies end up well cared for. it doesnt matter how stupid or foolish these girls were being, all that matters is the lives of these babies.

- Anonymous

Posted 07/06/08 02:27 PM

alot of schools now have a family living course. it involves a robot baby that every studet has to care for for 2 weeks. complete with changing feeding and burping. it was a real eye opener for me. i always baby sat toung children, but this baby was like real. it was up all night, it cried, it pooped and the memory chip could tell everything done with the child. even if the head wasnt heald properly, if it was left crying to long. we even had pretend baby day care at school. this should be offered at every school and should be mandatory for every teen. that might change some kids minds on having babies till they are really ready.

- jenn

Posted 07/06/08 02:51 PM

why couldnt they make a pact to graduate with honors or get into a good university. thats something that they wont be able to do very well with a baby.

- Anonymous

Posted 07/06/08 07:41 PM

At least the begger has plenty of time to take care of his child. I bet he’d make a pretty good dad.

- Ted

Posted 07/14/08 10:42 AM

I say bring back chastity belts! or better yet, give all babys an IQ test, and if they turn out stupid, steralise them from birth.

- Anonymous

Posted 07/14/08 10:45 AM

i can’t believe those kids chose to wear hospital gowns instead of their caps and gowns.

- delilah goodine

Posted 07/15/08 07:28 PM

To Drue, you are out of line and don’t belong in this discussion. To the other people who are judging these teens, look at your own life…Were you the perfect teenager that never made one bad decision? I didn’t think so. They are young girls who don’t have any real experience in life. They may have made a big mistake or may have not…who are you to decide what is good for them or their families. Just because a teen has a child does not mean that her life will become dependent on the government. I have a daughter that was sexually assaulted at the age of 15. She is now 18, with a beautiful little boy, that lights up a room when he walks in. She graduated from high school in three years and went on to become a certified nurse assistant. From there she was offered a job in the ICU as a clerk and a nurse assistant. She makes plenty of money to take care of her and her son. She will also be going to school to become a registered nurse. They live in their own home together and I couldn’t be more proud of her. I don’t have to worry about bailing her out of jail, drinking and doing drugs, or anything else that the other girls in our town do. She is responsible and much more GROWN UP than any other girl she went to high school with. So don’t be so quick to judge these teens. With support from their families and their community they CAN make it. Yes, they chose this but that doesn’t mean they have to fail…give them a chance. I say to their community be supportive and your community will learn and grow from these teens and their children.

- CK1

Posted 08/21/08 01:38 PM

Wow, What are these girls thinking? Having a child isn’t an easy thing to do and it is going to be even more difficult for these girls because of how young they are. They are no longer going to get to “hang out” with their friends or even get a good nights sleep. The parents of these girls aren’t going to have a good time either. Where in the H*** were they BEFORE these girls decided to do this “pack.” Thank god I have a mother who taught me that raising a kid is no picnic. Not to mention the fact that she would have KILLED me if I ever even thought about doing that! All I can say to those gilrs is “wow, you’re in for a bumpy ride. You better hold on and learn how to grow up fast.”

- Whitney

Posted 09/15/08 06:49 PM

Score one for the homeless guy!

- Anonymous

Posted 12/09/08 02:27 PM

I feel horrible for the next generation of children they will all have parents who are mentally un prepared for the role. And lets face i dont think we want these girls mothers raising those babies either!

- Levitra

Posted 12/11/08 03:19 PM

I feel horrible for children.

- miranda

Posted 01/07/09 03:22 PM

exb2f1 hi! hooli?

- hoolio

Posted 02/10/09 03:54 AM

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