Teen “Pregnancy Pact”: The Perfect Storm?
The shocking news from the small fishing town of Gloucester, Massachusetts spread across the country and around the world: 17 girls from one high school were pregnant, part of a supposed ‘pregnancy pact’ in which the students intentionally set out to become teen mothers, with a vow to raise their babies together.
It wasn’t the first time Gloucester made international headlines. The tragic 1991 loss at sea of a Gloucester fishing boat and its crew prompted the book and the movie “The Perfect Storm.”
Now a tidal wave of finger-pointing about who or what was responsible for so many pregnancies tipped toward a “perfect storm” of outside influences.
Some blamed Gloucester’s depressed local economy and the demise of its once-thriving fishing industry. Others indicted so-called broken families and directionless youth. Gloucester High, it was suggested, had brought the predicament on itself, by providing easily accessible on-campus day care for the babies of student mothers. And Hollywood shouldered its share of responsibility—the movie “Juno” was blamed for glamorizing unwed teen motherhood, and the media’s obsession with pregnant celebs having babies as “accessories” was called out as well.
But soon cracks began to appear in the cultural blame game. A reproductive specialist noted that the pregnancy trend at Gloucester High began before “Juno” hit the theaters. Gloucester’s mayor said the pregnancy rate was a statistical “blip” and rued the lack of health education funding. And the School Superintendent stated that he’d never heard the term “pact” used by the students, only by the media.
After days of silence, one of the girls finally appeared on national television. 17-year-old Lindsey Oliver denied the existence of a pact. “There was a group of girls already pregnant that decided they were going to help each other to finish school and raise their kids together,” she said. “I think it was just a coincidence.”
Tell us what you think: Are the Gloucester teen pregnancies the result of a “perfect storm” of outside influences, or does responsibility lie elsewhere?
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No no no ...
I think teens should not be getting pregnant because how will they be providing food for there young ones? They won’t – so they should not be having sex!
HaHa | 1 year, 5 months ago
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Poverty and Hopelessness
Your question makes no sense. “Are the Gloucester teen pregnancies the result of a “perfect storm” of outside influences, or does responsibility lie elsewhere?”
“Responsibility” is not the right word to use here and it isn’t an either or question. The increased rate of teen pregnancies is a complex issue but it is thought to come from a confluence of issues – poverty is one of them. Impoverished teens do not have the same future orientation as others with college in the future so they look for immediate access to adult world. Baby making is it. They also are the product of Bush’s abstinence program which has done as much good as he has. It’s wasted money and accomplished nothing. Teens need birth control (poster above: NOTE: Teens have sex. It isn’t going to stop.) and they need the kind of education money can buy. They need to be taught how to focus on their strengths and how to use them. They need to know they are worthwhile and they don’t need casual sex to make them feel good. Poster above is correct: they cannot feed them. So, they need access to abortion so we do not bring in any more babies who will be tortured and abused.
Ann | 1 year, 5 months ago
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It’s so odd because this is kind of happening in my town! Just not nearly as many. I have a friend who is 18 who just had a baby. (The fathers parents pay for EVERYTHING) so that baby is in an OK environment. Now, all of her friends are TRYING to get pregnant because her baby is so “cute and fun.” I have brothers that are 10 years younger then me. I saw the difficulties. These girls are being stupid, they need more restrictions and better role models.
Alexandra G. | 1 year, 5 months ago
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I think that some of the young women are having babies just because they think they’re cute and also because other girls are having them. But, if they’re ready and in love with the person then, hey, go for it. Also, make sure you can provide for the baby and make sure you’re mature.
Patrick | 1 year, 5 months ago
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This will never happen
Girls would never sign a pact to do this or if they did, I’m sure this will be the last time you see it.
All girls really want nice guys and will wait for them. They just don’t like to admit it. It would be too risky for teens to conspire to make a child with someone who isn’t a warm caring guy and who would truly love them back.
joe medeth | 1 year, 5 months ago
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solutions
I see an awful lot of blame placing and pointing out the obvious problem. What I’m not seeing are any workable solutions. I was a teenage mother. I did not do it on purpose. I was scared to death because I had a pretty good idea of how hard it was going to be. My younger sister saw how hard it was. She also had a computerized baby from her health class she had to take care of for a time. Our mother said it was worse about crying and things of that nature than my son who had colic very bad and was cutting teeth very early and several at a time. She is now in college, working to put herself through school, in a relationship with a wonderful man for almost 10 years now. She doesn’t have any kids yet. I think it is because she was exposed to the reality young and it left a definite and lasting impression.
Rachel | 1 year, 5 months ago
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Girls need better role models
I agree with you, Alexandra—girls need better role models. With how the media lifts up sex and all that, it should be no wonder there’s younger and unwed mothers. Abortion is NOT the answer! To learn to keep yourself for that man that’s going to love and care for you, and to not have sex with every boyfriend, that would help drastically. There are already too many abortions in America-what is wrong with our society? How many “tree huggers” are there? How many people save the trees, but see no issue with killing a baby before it’s born? It’s a strong issue, and it brings guilt. Again, I think the “answer” is in abstaining from sex-and no, that’s not a popular answer.
d.s. | 1 year, 5 months ago
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Teens Will Have Sex
Abstinence hasn’t worked. Ever. You’d have to lock up teens and put chastity belts on them. In the 40’s and 50’s and 60’s there were huge numbers of teen pregnancies and moms were sent to homes for unwed mothers and babies shipped off to strangers. Nothing is different now except they keep the babies. Birth control is critical. Abortion is critical. I am shocked at the number of people that want to control other’s reproductive rights.
And where do tree huggers fit in here? Why bring them up and insult them? Pro active people deserve respect rather than making fun of them. Tree huggers and abortion rights are 2 different issues. Abortion is NOT killing a baby. Babies are born. A fetus is not a baby – it is a collection of cells unable to exist outside of its environment. Miscarriages are natural abortions. Most women are not even aware they have them in the first 3 months. Cells are not babies. It is this kind of thinking that brings children in the world who get burned, battered and abused. There is too much pathology and delusional thinking in this world.
Ann | 1 year, 5 months ago
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Who is to blame?
As a sexual health educator, I find it hard to believe these girls truly intended to become pregnant. I also find it very hard to believe that no one can understand how vitally important it is not only to teach about the virtues of sexual abstinence and ALSO contraception and STD prevention. We have seen all the studies recently revealing how ineffective the Bush administrations prized “Abstinence only until marriage” has proven to be. We need to provide COMPREHENSIVE sex education to our youth, so they KNOW they have a choice and a responsibility for the consequence of those choices they make. They need to be given complete, honest, accurate information. This should start at home and be reintroduced to them in the schools. Teens will never ask us for permission to have sex, but they will ask for information if they are provided a safe, non-intimidating forum in which they can learn the facts about sexuality and sexual health.
Melissia M.Pierce, BSN | 1 year, 5 months ago
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From A Teen Age Girl Herself
Well I would like to start off by saying. “That If teenage girls aren’t ready to have A baby then they have no business having sex.” Having sex comes with some responsibilities. Even before you have sex you have to think about the consequences. After, you do you don’t know what’s going to happen. But you know most teenage girls don’t look at things my way and they just like to be FOLLOWERS!
Andrea | 1 year, 5 months ago
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