Pregnancy Boom at Local High School

[Sister Fracas 5]

I agree in that it's unique....

Also, about the "shaming" bit, how exactly does that help an innocent baby that did nothing but be born to a mother who is too young. Don't you think the shame would carry on to them?

Edited June 20, 2008 by Sister Fracas

[Jenn! 918]

I agree in that it's unique....

Also, about the "shaming" bit, how exactly does that help an innocent baby that did nothing but be born to a mother who is too young. Don't you think the shame would carry on to them?

I think there's a difference between actively shaming a girl after the fact and creating an environment in which a girl would feel that she would be ashamed if she were to get pregnant.

When I was a teenager I would have been ashamed to get pregnant. I think most girls would, no?

[Peikko 1,575]

Of course he wasn't talking about stoning that was just my bit of exageration to make a point. There is no benefit in shaming girls once the deed has been done - we have tried that and it didn't work (It's only recently that it has become acceptable after all and teenage pregnancyy is not some new phenomen!). We have tried the 'let's send them to a seperate school' thing too - that didn't work.

If the statistics that have been provided are correct, then teenage pregnancy in general is a downward trend thanks probably to provision of sex education and contraceptives and such measures are entirely unnecessary anyway. The article describes a very strange situation where some girls (about 10 or so?) came to the conclusion that they would benefit in some way from getting pregnant at the same time, strange and unusual behaviour.

However, to suddenly suggest that once again we should marginalize pregnant teens as a suitable way to prevent this kind of thing happening in the future is just silly - as is the method of shaming I suggested. (We do realize that this was considered a suitable punishment for misdemeanors at one time and at least part of the reason for such a punishment was to 'shame' and pillory the perpetrator?)

Jenn, I don't really see how you can create an environment of shame for one and not the other. The best course of action is to educate girls into realizing that they have many, many options to get fulfilment out of life, not just being a teen mother.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Purple_Hibiscus

[Jenn! 918]

I guess I just don't see where it's been suggested that pregnant teems should be marginalized.

I agree that education is necessary about the many options in life. I just don't think that teen pregnancy should be presented as an equally valid option.

My mother got pregnant with me as a teen, dropped out of school, etc. I don't think anyone congratulated her when she got pregnant - it's not a *good* thing to happen to an 18-year old. But she and my family dealt with it - she went back to get her degree and I don't feel I've suffered at all as a result. I really don't think a little bit of negativity associated with being a pregnant teen is unwarranted.

[Peikko 1,575]

I am not sure who is 'congratulating' these teens, except the group themselves. Society doesn't 'congratulate' teen pregnancy, it has learned to accept it and I don't know anyone who would suggest teen pregnancy is some kind of career option. Creating an atmosphere of 'shame' can only lead to marginalization. It's not really possible to have 'shame' in a vacuum. What would be positive would be to educate these kids in the entire implications and realities of their pregnancy and motherhood because surely they have some very glamourized image of what it will be like? However, that is down to their parents at this time.

[Peikko 1,575]

There is a lot of 'negativity' associated with teen pregnancy already which is why most teens don't opt for it.

[Sister Fracas 5]

I agree in that it's unique....

Also, about the "shaming" bit, how exactly does that help an innocent baby that did nothing but be born to a mother who is too young. Don't you think the shame would carry on to them?

I think there's a difference between actively shaming a girl after the fact and creating an environment in which a girl would feel that she would be ashamed if she were to get pregnant.

When I was a teenager I would have been ashamed to get pregnant. I think most girls would, no?

I guess I just don't see the positive in making anyone feel ashamed. They already may feel bad enough...confused, scared, anxious, etc. Had it happened to me, I hope my parents would have said, ok, you've made a mistake, and now you've got a responsibility which we can help you through, but you have to stay in school. Who knows how they or I would have handled that kind of situation?

[Jenn! 918]

I think we are in agreement.

Like I said before, this was a unique case. Yes, there already is a lot of negativity associated with teen pregnancy in most communities.

But apparently not this one, and that needs to be addressed. I'm not talking some change at a national level, just change at Gloucester High.

[Jenn! 918]

I agree in that it's unique....

Also, about the "shaming" bit, how exactly does that help an innocent baby that did nothing but be born to a mother who is too young. Don't you think the shame would carry on to them?

I think there's a difference between actively shaming a girl after the fact and creating an environment in which a girl would feel that she would be ashamed if she were to get pregnant.

When I was a teenager I would have been ashamed to get pregnant. I think most girls would, no?

I guess I just don't see the positive in making anyone feel ashamed. They already may feel bad enough...confused, scared, anxious, etc. Had it happened to me, I hope my parents would have said, ok, you've made a mistake, and now you've got a responsibility which we can help you through, but you have to stay in school. Who knows how they or I would have handled that kind of situation?

Is being ashamed about a mistake really so bad? I think I'm missing something. I'm ashamed of many things I've done or said in my life. Learning experiences, and you move on.

[Sister Fracas 5]

I think we are in agreement.

Like I said before, this was a unique case. Yes, there already is a lot of negativity associated with teen pregnancy in most communities.

But apparently not this one, and that needs to be addressed. I'm not talking some change at a national level, just change at Gloucester High.

I guess I wasn't seeing that this school was glamourizing pregnancy (maybe I need to read the article again), just trying to make sure girls were staying in school, by providing support for teen mothers. If it were me and my teen had the choices to either drop out of school/postpone graduation or let my teen take her baby to school while attending classes, I'd rather the latter.

But I DO agree that this school is lacking something up front...in the education department BEFORE a pregnancy occurs.

[Jenn! 918]

I guess I wasn't seeing that this school was glamourizing pregnancy (maybe I need to read the article again), just trying to make sure girls were staying in school, by providing support for teen mothers. If it were me and my teen had the choices to either drop out of school/postpone graduation or let my teen take her baby to school while attending classes, I'd rather the latter.

But I DO agree that this school is lacking something up front...in the education department BEFORE a pregnancy occurs.

I'm not sure what the root of the problem is. But whatever it was made this group of girls think that making a pregnancy pact was a good idea. I'm hoping it's just these particular girls and this won't be an issue anymore in Gloucester.

I don't disagree with anything that the school has done as result, it's what they/the girls' parents/whoever did before.

[Sister Fracas 5]

Is being ashamed about a mistake really so bad? I think I'm missing something. I'm ashamed of many things I've done or said in my life. Learning experiences, and you move on.

I wish there were a better word because to me ashamed comes with feeling inferior, or being a disgrace to your family or something. How do you overcome that and be a good mom to your baby? And like I said, how does the baby not become a disgrace as well? If the pregnancy is a disgrace, how does that not rub off on the baby?

My grandmother's sister gave birth to a baby in her teens, out of wedlock...back in 1903...and because it was a terrible thing to happen at the time, my grandmother's mother raised the child as a sibling to my gran, instead of my gran's sister raising him. The lie wasn't found out until years later when it was discovered that my gran and her "brother" were born just a few months apart.....hmmmm...

[Jenn! 918]

Is being ashamed about a mistake really so bad? I think I'm missing something. I'm ashamed of many things I've done or said in my life. Learning experiences, and you move on.

I wish there were a better word because to me ashamed comes with feeling inferior, or being a disgrace to your family or something. How do you overcome that and be a good mom to your baby? And like I said, how does the baby not become a disgrace as well? If the pregnancy is a disgrace, how does that not rub off on the baby?

My grandmother's sister gave birth to a baby in her teens, out of wedlock...back in 1903...and because it was a terrible thing to happen at the time, my grandmother's mother raised the child as a sibling to my gran, instead of my gran's sister raising him. The lie wasn't found out until years later when it was discovered that my gran and her "brother" were born just a few months apart.....hmmmm...

Ah, I see what you are saying now. I guess I use the word ashamed more loosely, like feeling guilt or regret. No, I don't think being considered a disgrace would be helpful.

[Sister Fracas 5]

Is being ashamed about a mistake really so bad? I think I'm missing something. I'm ashamed of many things I've done or said in my life. Learning experiences, and you move on.

I wish there were a better word because to me ashamed comes with feeling inferior, or being a disgrace to your family or something. How do you overcome that and be a good mom to your baby? And like I said, how does the baby not become a disgrace as well? If the pregnancy is a disgrace, how does that not rub off on the baby?

My grandmother's sister gave birth to a baby in her teens, out of wedlock...back in 1903...and because it was a terrible thing to happen at the time, my grandmother's mother raised the child as a sibling to my gran, instead of my gran's sister raising him. The lie wasn't found out until years later when it was discovered that my gran and her "brother" were born just a few months apart.....hmmmm...

Ah, I see what you are saying now. I guess I use the word ashamed more loosely, like feeling guilt or regret. No, I don't think being considered a disgrace would be helpful.

Regret is a good word. But then again, you can't say you regret having a child if you are going to be a good parent. You can only regret that you weren't more thoughtful, careful, and knowledgeable I guess. Ehhh, what do I know?

[zqt3344 21]

What a bunch of horny women. Just go get an abortion or take the morning after pill and it will all go away!

Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High

As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies—more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno and Knocked Up for glamorizing young unwed mothers. But principal Joseph Sullivan knows at least part of the reason there's been such a spike in teen pregnancies in this Massachusetts fishing town. School officials started looking into the matter as early as October after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, "some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. "We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy," the principal says, shaking his head.

The question of what to do next has divided this fiercely Catholic enclave. Even with national data showing a 3% rise in teen pregnancies in 2006—the first increase in 15 years—Gloucester isn't sure it wants to provide easier access to birth control. In any case, many residents worry that the problem goes much deeper. The past decade has been difficult for this mostly white, mostly blue-collar city (pop. 30,000). In Gloucester, perched on scenic Cape Ann, the economy has always depended on a strong fishing industry. But in recent years, such jobs have all but disappeared overseas, and with them much of the community's wherewithal. "Families are broken," says school superintendent Christopher Farmer. "Many of our young people are growing up directionless."

The girls who made the pregnancy pact—some of whom, according to Sullivan, reacted to the news that they were expecting with high fives and plans for baby showers—declined to be interviewed. So did their parents. But Amanda Ireland, who graduated from Gloucester High on June 8, thinks she knows why these girls wanted to get pregnant. Ireland, 18, gave birth her freshman year and says some of her now pregnant schoolmates regularly approached her in the hall, remarking how lucky she was to have a baby. "They're so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally," Ireland says. "I try to explain it's hard to feel loved when an infant is screaming to be fed at 3 a.m."

The high school has done perhaps too good a job of embracing young mothers. Sex-ed classes end freshman year at Gloucester, where teen parents are encouraged to take their children to a free on-site day-care center. Strollers mingle seamlessly in school hallways among cheerleaders and junior ROTC. "We're proud to help the mothers stay in school," says Sue Todd, CEO of Pathways for Children, which runs the day-care center.

But by May, after nurse practitioner Kim Daly had administered some 150 pregnancy tests at Gloucester High's student clinic, she and the clinic's medical director, Dr. Brian Orr, a local pediatrician, began to advocate prescribing contraceptives regardless of parental consent, a practice at about 15 public high schools in Massachusetts. Currently Gloucester teens must travel about 20 miles (30 km) to reach the nearest women's health clinic; younger girls have to get a ride or take the train and walk. But the notion of a school handing out birth control pills has met with hostility. Says Mayor Carolyn Kirk: "Dr. Orr and Ms. Daly have no right to decide this for our children." The pair resigned in protest on May 30.

Gloucester's elected school committee plans to vote later this summer on whether to provide contraceptives. But that won't do much to solve the issue of teens wanting to get pregnant. Says rising junior Kacia Lowe, who is a classmate of the pactmakers': "No one's offered them a better option." And better options may be a tall order in a city so uncertain of its future. —with reporting by Kimberley McLeod/New York

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815845,00.html

FYI, Gloucester is the "Perfect Storm" town...

Edited June 20, 2008 by zqt3344