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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Its Not always the teens fault!!!!!!!!
Well first its true if your not ready for an baby dont have sex what if some did something bad to you an you dont tell noone an then come out you find out your pregnant an its to late for an abortion so before you guys get on here fussing about that you should also think about what i just said because not all teens are having sex just to have it!!!!!!!!!!!!
latoya | 3 months, 3 weeks ago
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do what you think is best:)
i think it is ok to get pregnant at a young age because i myself am a teen mom and their is nothing to be ashamed of:)
jessica gomez | 3 months, 3 weeks ago
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i am i teen mother
well i am i teen mother and im not a follower in any way i didnt want a baby it was an acident but my son is the best thing that ever happend to me hes my world and i provide everyhting for him i work and have my own place and i go to school. im taking full responsibility it aint easy but i make it his father is also in the picture and hes got a job and is living with us and taking care of our son to. not all teens can step up but i did.
kelly | 3 months, 3 weeks ago
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my pregnancy!!
what happened waswhen i was 15 i went to this party with my friends and there was drinking involved. and i ended up getting very drunk. and then i ended up passing out. when i woke up about 2 hours later there wsa this 18 year old guy in the bed with me.and i realized that both me and him had no clothes on. i thought nothing about it until weeks later i began to get very sick. then i went to the doctor and found out that i was pregnant!! It has been a year now…and i never thought that caring for a child could be this hard!! thanks for reading!! :)
nicole willard | 3 months, 3 weeks ago
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Dont judge teens unless u know them
Im 17 and almost 28 weeks pregnant i dont have a job me and my bf have decided that he will work and support us and after the baby is born im gonna start in college i dont think ppl should be judgeing all teen parents me and my bf have been together almost 2 yrs and when we found out we were gonna be parents we were so excited we r livin with my parents until we can save up enough to get our on house we help out and buy our on groceries some teens do step up and take responsibilty i wouldnt have it any other way im so ready for our baby boy to get here
Christy | 3 months, 3 weeks ago
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my sad story
ok i was only 14 when i was dating this guy named jesse and he was so nice he was 16 so i thought i was cool for dating him but i was wrong one day i went to his house and we were watching a movie and he wanted to have sex but i didnt so i told him no and he got mad and he forced me tohave sex with him so i got scared and didnt tell any one about it until i missed my period so i asked my friend who was 18 to take me to the doctors and he told me that i was 1 month pregnate so i freaked and told my mom so now i live with my mom and dad and 3 year old son haden happy so girls make the right choice and dont have sex or trust any one that caint wait for u to be ready to have sex!!!! make a good choice.
olivia bentson | 3 months, 3 weeks ago
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what
just because teens have sex doesnt mean anything im 13 and im pregnant and kids can provide for there babys so stop with the bullshit becuse my baby is just fine and my boyfriend stuck by me and hes 17 and my parents allow it so stop saying that just because you say teens cant have sex their gonna do it anyway so stop ur not in our shoes
13 year old | 3 months, 3 weeks ago
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anybody can be a mom; its tha love & care & patien
ima teen mom @ age 18; soon as i found out i was pregnant; me&the; baby’s father got married at the courthouse; he went to trade school for hvac tech. 9month program, & i got my ged & went to community college at night; wile i worked at starbucks*coffee during the day as part time; & my husband got his liscense; gota car 4rm my dad; & we got our own apartment [2bedrm] & saved up money; bought my own crib; & made my nursury & everything.
MY POINT>> any bdy can be a mom; dosnt matter what age; with who or when or where; its magical seein the baby for the first time u instantly mature & anything is capable to make the world a beter place for your baby if u choose 2have them at a yung age if u only do it right. keep ur hed on ur sholders straight & prepare urself for the future. only gives u 9months of redyness.
MRS. jessica cabelo | 3 months, 3 weeks ago
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dont be so mean
im only 15 & i am 2 months pregnate. you shouldnt judge teen mothers about getting pregnate because most the time it is a mistake. it may not be the smartest thing to have sex before marrage anyway, but i am truly happy with being a teen mom. its a difficult thing to do, but no-one said it would be easy. but please dont make teen moms feel worse or worth less because of there choice. we need all the support we can get.
katie | 3 months, 3 weeks ago
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THANKS
i just read all the other comments & this kinda thing is also happpening in my school. we have 9 girls in my highschool who are pregnate. however, only 1 is a senior.! it is alot easier i will hac=ve to say to go through it with friends by your side instead of feeling like every time you go to school that you will be judged. so thanks to all my friends for your support!!!!!
katie | 3 months, 3 weeks ago
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