iVillagers React to Teen Pregnancy Pact

It saddens me to think these girls thought this a good idea, for whatever reasons they created in their heads. I think some just don't realize that having a baby is not like buying some trendy accessory - if you're sick of the baby in a month, you can't just stick it in your closet and forget about it. They just have no concept of just how much that child is going to change their lives, for better and for worse.

Although they were married and it was a different time then, my grandmothers and mother were all 18-19yo teen moms who say they wish they had avoided getting pregnant until they were much older and better equipped to handle all that being a mom really means. My sil, also a teen mom, wishes she could undo her past, too, and says the same things my grandmothers and mother say, that they love their oldest, but it was much, much too hard to be a teenager and pregnant, and even harder to be a mom when you're just a kid yourself.

Sad that the girls either don't know (don't care?) the rest of us will be paying for them and their babies- food stamps, medical, etc. What will they do? Where will they go? A homeless father? Doubt he'll provide support. Ever try being a single mom & getting a college education? Oops - forgot! Gramma will be expected to babysit...

When I was teaching 6th grade girls in a middle school in the California desert, they expressed individually that the goal in life was to have children as soon as possible to get money in the mail. The only reason they even came to school was because the state told their mothers they had to go to school in order for her to keep her check coming.

I think this says plenty about our "system." When are we going to admit we screwed it all up and created a mess? When are we going to make the changes for the most deserved recipients? Maybe the 13 year old girls won't see it as glamorous when they have to stay home and actually take care of the child they created for selfish reasons (and didn't allow a loving family to take in - adoption)!

Nobody is going to stop stupid girls from being stupid, but if you want to see a quick end to teen pregnancies thats easy enough to do. Simply require the fathers of these babies to work forty hours a week (at a government rock pile moving job if they can't find or hold a private sector job) until their child is 18. Without consequences, lazy and socially useless guys will do what they have always done, donate sperm and mooch off mom.

Bringing the child to this world is not for fun!

Many girls i knew do not even think so far. what they see is what happens now. That's why they get themselves into such circumstances.

If all of this is true, then I would suppose that these girls come from a family with no proper value-training. What you are now is a reflection of what your family is. The destiny of these girls is the failure of their parents. Parents' successes can only be seen on their children's future. I might be biased because I come from a true Catholic, God-fearing family with the best parents in the world.

I honestly don't see what the huge deal is. Sure, a whole lot of girls are pregnant. But it seems like the school is more concerned with how that makes them look than how the girls are going to deal with it. They wanted to get pregnant, and now they are. Last time I looked there was no law against having children at a young age. Maybe they'll later decide that it was a bad decision, but it was their decision to make, and now it's up to them and the people close to them to take care of those babies when they're born. Who knows? Maybe their lives will be changed for the better because of this.

I was 16 yrs old when I got pregnant by a 19 yr old boy who I had only known for 3 or 4 months. He joined the army and I was left to go through my pregnancy by myself. I got my GED and enrolled in college at a University. I went to college for six yrs got a degree in Graphic Design. I abandoned my old life (friends, parties, fun, etc.) and raised my daughter. I lived in my own home without any help from the government. My daughter is getting ready to turn 13 yrs. old now a she is wonderful. Everyone including my parents thought I had ruined my life, but I made the choice to start my life at the point of conception. I revolved my every thought around being the best mother I could be and everything turned out just right. My daughter is aware of the fact that I beat the odds, and that accomplishing what I have done is like conquering the impossible. I do not believe that she will make the same choices that I did to lead me to be a teen mother because of my being able to express all the difficulties and challenges that it entails. I am now 30 yrs old and just now had my second child, and yes with the same boy I met when I was 16. My kids are 11 years apart and have the same father. I have been married for 2 1/2 yrs now, and THANK GOD everyday for the blessings I have had, my girls mean the world to me and I would not be who I am today without them. Yet I would not wish teen pregnancy on anyone. It was very difficult to do ordinary, everyday things because I have always had to responsible for not only myself, but another little person. My mistakes would not only affect my life but hers as well. It was a lot of pressure for a 16 yr old girl but I managed not to be a statistic. I sacrificed a lot of my wants and needs to make sure that my daughter's wants and needs could be met. Not every person is cut out for motherhood young or old. You either have it or you don't, but you must first experience it before it becomes apparent which category you fit into.

(1) in this subject first responsibility of parents (mother) because they r first school ,friend of girls.
(2) media & TV channels r also responsible for this result
(3) parents whoes want to EXPOSE our girls child in parties & other rush places.

have we ever stopped to think about what would happen to our economy? This new "baby boom" will be nothing like what our grandparents brought. The problem is, the teenagers who are supposed to be the next professionals, intellectuals, and the like will merely become ill-equiped parents who will only continue this vicious cycle.

What struck me the most is that one of their reasons to get pregnant is the "deal" they might get from the government. why do these girls have such low ambitions? Don't they know that they could have changed the world?

I think the rate of teenage pregnancy is ridiculous. Schools everywhere insist on teaching ABSTINENCE only sex-ed. While that would be the ideal choice for all parties involved, we live in 2008 and everyone is having sex. I know kids who are 11 years old and are having sex; and I know a 13 year old girl who was pregnant at 11 and already had an abortion. Schools need to teach responsible sex. Show kids condoms and talk about them in school. We obviously aren't going to get very far telling them not to do it.

Also I agree with mom_camilled. Most young teenage girls who become single moms aren't going to finish school. Thus resulting in lower paying jobs or no jobs at all. They will have to live off of the taxpayers money because they thought it would be cool to have a baby at 16. I sure as heck don't want to be paying for some girl who decided it would be fun to get pregnant.

I don't know who should take the blame other than all of society. Everyone needs to start setting better examples for young girls who should be worrying about making a life for them and not a life for someone else.

I got a chuckle today from the news reports of the school principal placing partial blame on President Bush. I don't believe he's spent that much time in Gloucester, MA in the last 6-9 months...

Even if the school had a Trojan's "Direct-to-You" factory warehouse in the cafeteria it would have made NO difference. Even if Planned Parenthood had a classroom set aside to provide Abortions on Demand, it would have made NO difference.

The girls want a government check and an apartment so they don't have to listen to their parents, siblings, neighbors, family pets, etc.. Like Greta Garbo of a couple of generations ago, these girls "Just want to be alone"

I was told when I was a teen that if i got a girl pregnant I had to move out because no one was having babies in my dads house but him. He told me the house I lived in belong to him and I was just visiting till I was 18 then I had 30 days to either go to college or the military. I am 42 and have no kids.I own my own business and home. No mortgage on either one. Dad was right ! The parents dictate the future of the child. Problem is,so many parents dont have a future and there kids wont either.

If you want to reduce teen pregnantcy , just tell the teen that if they get pregnant or get a girl pregnant they have to move out immediately. That changes everything for them. Now there will be something at stake they cant easily replace and as a result they will have to consider being a parent and homeless. That will reduce the number of teens having babies.

they need to remember that there is a life at stake. this soul in them is given by God, thus it is their responsibility to bring up this human into a physically, mentally, and spiritually able adult. If they don't bring em up right, and the kid turned out to be some homeless delinquent without proper school education, well...they need to answer to God when they get to heaven. (assuming that they get there in the 1st place!)

I'm still a teen, i don't think of getting pregnant or anything (not even marriage yet--that's far off). But if i'm 35, with a good job and unfortunately alone, maybe i'll think of raising a baby myself.

Imagine how many girls just destroyed so one elses chances in life, for themsleves, for the child and least and always last the Guy, for their own selfish desires. Im living that dream right now. My 17yr old cousin will also be living that dream. A dream where he will have to provide insurance, have to struggle twice as hard to make it half as far, and if he is lucky, maybe get along with her family and get to see his child for more than 4 days amonth, if he is lucky that is. Why bring a child into this world if you can not give him/her everything she/he needs. Its plain f'en stupid.

Where were the parents? What are the parents going to do to stop them. Seriously think about it. You can't lock them in rooms. You cant monitor them 24/7. You can however put the fear of pregnacy into them. Tell them its all fire and brimstone or something. I hear alot of complaining but i see no one trying to find a solution. Oh yeah one more thing. If you dont think the movie "Juno" didnt glamorize this topic, then you really need to open your eyes and look at media and it affects on youth. It doesn't have to be a glamorous movie to be glamorizing a subject. Its what is between the lines.

I myself will be going to court on my birthday {because of child support} to find out what happens to me because i decided that i wanted to further my education, couldnt pay for vehicle repair from driving 60 miles a day to go to work, as well a not being able to find work "McDonalds wasn't hiring right now" near home. So i will like to see her squeeze me for the every penny i dont have.

I say send them packing, let them find out what life as a single mom with nothing is like. But just for a month. them bring them back and help them deal with the mess they have just made for the world.

teens, like every other human in this country are dying to feel connected to someone, to a community, a tribe. It is no wonder and no surprise they don't interpret relationships as serious investments when all we see are families and communities dismantling around us.

I have had my fair share of pregnant teens working in a small hospital. I have yet to meet a well put together teen mom. They just look at you with a gaze that screams "I could care less, now take care of my baby for me". We have a good friend that abandoned her kids after she suddenly realized that she never got to grow up and her kids were tying her down. Luckily they have a good father.

It is an extremely selfish act to willfully get pregnant while a teen in this day and age without a way to provide. You know that there are not going to be many in this "pact" of moms that will work. Their poor parents will feel obligated to help raise this grandchild because the new mom will be wanting to go out and watch the new cartoon with their friends. I see it all the time.

If this is the way of the future, and seemingly, no way to prevent it, then no need to sit back and moan and bitch about it. It is better to adjust society to accommodate it. Reduce marriage age to 14, reduce school to 10 years like some other countries, for example, the Philippines, since most kids, unless serious about college, waste the last couple years of high school. Why not even 8 years of school? Then, they can go to college or start work at 14 if they aren't pregnant or supporting a family at the time. If they pay some attention in school, they should be able to read and do some math by then. Any subjects or special skills they want to learn later, they will be able to do so through reading or training programs. Let people drive and start work at 14 so they can help support a family. Require child support from teen dads. Teen marriages and pregnancies are nothing new in the world history. Look at European culture 500 years ago and modern Arab culture. THE Mohammed had a bride, Aisha, that was nine years old, his favorite wife, too. You are still allowed to have a bride and consummate the marriage after her menstruation begins in some Arab countries. This prolonging childhood and going to school for 12 years is an artificial social contrivance that totally goes against the nature of sexual hormones, sexual development, romantic and sexual desires. It is almost impossible no matter what society legislates to go against human nature. Remember prohibition? There will always be some with personal ambition to make something out of themselves and they can go to college and have professional jobs. There will always be a need for filling menial jobs that require less education, skills and need on the job training only. Another thing, is change zoning to make smaller, cheaper housing available, like one bedroom ones in the 200 sq ft range and 2 bedrooms in the 500sq ft range, so that the teenage dads can better take care of their families with their lower paying jobs. A small American apartment is like an upper middle class home in some countries. In my opinion, the average American lifestyle has already peaked and is heading down as some areas of the world are heading up.
For everything a person wants in life, there is a price to pay. If a person wants romance, sex and children at a young age, then the price is a lower income lifestyle, less free time to play, socialize with friends, less time and energy to study or work towards a higher level career, more work, energy and responsibility caring for their children. This is the strong message the kids need to hear from early on, and then, they will make their decisions and pay the price as expected with no big surprise. You can guide your children your very best, but ultimately, they will choose their own lives. You may think these suggestions are far out of reality but if the trend continues and a very large portion of society decides to become parents at young ages, is it not better to make changes in society to allow them the possibility of caring for themselves and having happiness instead of being a social burden and no hope to join mainstream society?

go ahead & have your babies. Look at this world...what kind of sicko are you people? What does this world have to offer innocent little children? We are running out of oil, food, clean water & air. Having more humans on the earth just means more bodies to pile up.

These girls were completely irresponsible. As a teacher of kids the same age, not one of my students would make it as a teen parent. When all is said and done, where were the parents? And who or what gave these girls the idea that it is "cool" to be pregnant at such a young age? Someone said that society is to blame, yes, but at the same time, who is raising these girls and teaching them values. Growing up, my mother and father always said that if I got pregnant that I shouldn't even bother coming home. That is what I call tough love, and you know what? Not my brother, sister, nor I were pregnant until we were married.

I have always used the "if you are going to play - You are going to PAY" scenario with my kids. I have told both of them that if they are responsible for bringing a child into this world, that life as they know it would come to a halt. No sports, extracurriculars etc. They would in fact have to finish HS, but also would have to work to support that child. I've also established an open line of communication with them, telling them that there isn't ANYTHING they could do that would stop me from loving them. Discussions started a LONG time ago on topics that MY parents would cringe if they knew I was having with my teens. I don't promote sex, but trying to be realistic, I have made sure that they are equipped with knowledge and protection to prevent not just an unwanted pregnancy, but more serious disease related consequences, especially death.

I know not every parent will agree with my approach to this issue, but it works for me and my kids!

My biggest beef on this whole issue is the fact that there are many, many women (myself included) who are mature, successful, financially secure, WORKING, MARRIED, and responsible who want a baby so badly and cannot for whatever reason(s) conceive and then there are these teens getting pregnant after having sex one or two times and even getting pregnant by homeless men? What is this world coming to? What is going on? As this article reads: "Where are their parents?" It's outrageous and a major strain on the rest of us hard-working people who ultimately, support these teens who are on welfare and food stamps! Birth control needs to be started as soon as some of these girls start having their menstrual cycle! Something needs to be done! Their lives will never be the same and it's ultimately, the unborn child who will suffer the most. Okay, there, I'm done venting now....

Im sorry, but what stupid sluts. I agree that these teens couldnt have good role models. I acknowledge that teens will do what they want to do, so even if they have good role models they can make mistakes. What really irks me is our society's policies on giving free money to little tramps. I bet that most of these children won't even wind up raising them, therefore they should be urged to have abortions. Its such a disgrace to our society to have babies having babies. What they did is ILLEGAL. The boys should be put in jail for rape- sexual misconduct with a minor and the girls should be punished legally as well. While we're at it, shouldnt the parents also be held responsible since it's their legal obligation be responsible for their child?! What is with our society giving out free money to careless people? Why should my tax paying dollars go to someone's sexual romps? I'd rather pay to have them sterilized or put on birth control- at least thats a cheaper option and doesnt pollute the world with another human being that is probably just going to continue the cycle. I wouldnt give money to a hooker, and I wouldnt give money to a kid thats basically doing the same thing. Its disgusting. We Americans really need to look around us and start taking better care of our families and making it known that you can't go bringing a child into this world on a whim. It makes me disgusted. Yes, I have family and am a mother and a wife. I have family members that have gotten pregnant while in high school to trap their boyfriends. I think its horrible that we are not teaching our children the responsibility of being a parent, instead we enforce it by giving them free government handouts to help them keep repeating these mistakes.

i don't think that it is necessarily all the parents fault i first got pregnant at 16, gave birth at 17 and now 19 pregnant with my second. and my parents were probably some of the most involved when it came to my personal life, except they would not allow me to be on birth control. so it's a bit of both of us in my situation when i was 16. it could be the same for some of these young girls who are getting pregnant. but i think to discourage some of these pregnancies we should make it a lot harder for them to get assistance. they need to see that it's not as easy as going to dshs and getting money and food stamps and housing assistance.

I WAS given a moral upbringing as a child. I had every single intention of staying a virgin till married. There was absolutely no pressure from my boyfriend, things just felt right between us as stuff progressed. I was also not about to ask my parents for permission to have sex, they would have said no, and I would have done it anyway. When we got pregnant at 16, everyone thought we screwed up big time. Everyone expected us to follow the same track all the others had. What they didn't expect was that I paired myself with a guy who also had a moral upbringing and WANTED to be involved in the life of his child. Yet, there were efforts to get us to split up which would have burdened the system and our families even more. It wasn't difficult to know what I had to do, it was challenging to keep things going. By the grace of God and the help of friends and family, we have so far made it. We've been together 16 years, married for 13 years, our oldest will be 15 soon, and we have a 13 year old & 6 year old together as well. We ARE indeed a rare exception to the 'typical' occurences of teen parents. How fortunate for our children that their father and I have managed to find detours around those odds. Oh wait, it's because we sacrificed a lot to make sure our kids got what they need.

If parents and schools mete out consequences that mean something EARLY in life, kids learn a long term lesson: Your choices will have some kind of impact or consequence. They're forced to think further ahead than the next 5 minutes, and more about what will come in the distant future if they choose to do something questionable now.

When are people going to stop blaming the parents for every decision that kids make? I didn't have my first child until I was 28, but I had plenty of scares throughout high school, and I was careful! Not every teenager intentionally is trying to get pregnant. Sometimes sh*t happens, even when you're being careful.

There is either a tremendous number of women in the world who were virgins on their wedding night, or a tremendous number of women who were lucky like I was. Most of us played with fire by having sex as teens. Some people got burned... It doesn't make us better people because it didn't happen to us.

I do not think the movies Juno and Knocked Up glamourized teen pregnancy or being a single mom, etc. But, I do feel that our society has made it seem acceptable to be young and pregnant. Just over the past 10 years, I've seen more and more young girls pregnant -- some I know personally, and others just in passing. The parents of these girls have been either very absent of very lenient with all sorts of rules. I may only be 22, but I know that if I were to ever come home pregnant when I was younger or now, my parents disapproval would hurt me more than anything else. The parents of girls who didn't get pregnant at a young age, before marriage should teach these parents of teenage girls now. Maybe they need a lesson on sex education and how to not make their child a statistic.

I just hope that my future children (after I'm married and have a home and money to support them) never become like these teen moms. I pray that I know a thing or two that can stray them away that.

I don't think this is the parents fault. If a 14 year old child has enough use of reason to be tried as an adult in the case of murder, these girls have enough use of reason to make up their own minds about this. Also, children reach the use of reason at the age of 7 in most cases (this is when they know the difference between right and wrong). I believe that young girls are subconsciously pushed to have babies and boyfriends and all that "good" stuff at an extremely young age. These girls may be calling out for lack of love...? That is not necessarily their fault. Also, I believe this is a deliberate attempt of the people in charge to try to push use of birth control and further destroy the family which is the basic unit and the infrastructure of a healthy society. America is not a healthy society. I hate to say it, but it is true.

It's all about babies having babies. It saddens my heart to see where this world is coming to. Too young to get a drivers liscence too young to vote but not too young to get pregnant.

The thing that bothers me about this situation is the fact that these girls don't see the long term effects of this decision. I have known a few people who got pregnant at a young age and turned out to be fine but that is such a small percentage. I have no doubt in my mind that these girls will be able to love these babies but as bad as it sounds love just isn't enough. These babies will be growing up along side their parents and I feel bad for the day that they realize that.

Who is it for anyone to get into these girls business? How do you know that they are on welfare? AND how they are trying to blame the parents. I'm eighteen and got pregnant, about to be nineteen. I COULDNT EVEN GET ON WELFARE! I had to get a job at the hospital just to get insurance for my pregnancy. Just because someones young doesnt mean they wont be a good parent. Teen pregnancy has been happening since evolution, and has happened in every generation. Just because some media dawned the light on a couple girls everyone gets outraged. YES, i think it's ridiculous if they planned it, but I would say when i got PREGNANT, i didnt plan it at all! I was ON birthcontrol and using condoms and it STILL happened. All these people saying all this crap and they dont even understand half of any of the stories. My babies farther and I were together for a couple of years, and I love to hear people ask where where the parents, because i'm sure many of you didnt ask your mom or dads permission to have sexual intercourse! Sometimes ACCIDENTS happen, and i hate to tell you, they won't be the first and certainly not the last. SOME teen parents make great parents, better than all these people having babies and abusing them! Some of them don't but that doesnt mean because they were teens. Some people are cut out to be parents... others arent. Teen or not, parenting doesn't have a age.

It's ridiculous also that people are so HARSH on their kids. When teen girls get pregnant thats when they need their parents the MOST. and for all these people to say for them to just not to come home, that shows how much love you have for your child and grandchild. IT ISNT THE BABIES FAULT, but when you tell your kid you're going to disown them if they get pregnant, it's truely sad.

I'm going to college as I am still pregnant. I live with my parents and pay rent and everything for my child I have paid for besides the babyshower gifts. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG with being a teen parent, as long as they accept the responsibility. A lot of teens that end up pregnant don't choose to be pregnant, and a lot of the ones who choose to be pregnant can be great parents. Teenage pregnancy will happen no matter what anyone has to say about it.

As a group or individually, what's the difference? There is no dearth of undereducated, ill-equipped mothers out there ranging from the Gloucester girls to Britney Spears (and why not her sister too?) Why are people so surprised?

I'm really sick of people assuming that teenagers are just going to have sex, like it's some kind of fundamental right. I'm only 21, so it wasn't long ago that I was a teen, and having sex certainly didn't seem like something I was entitled to or should be doing. If a girl is younger than 16, she can't drive, so how is she getting out and about? Parents need to learn the word "NO"-- no to getting into cars with boys, no to having boys over whenever they want, no to the complete permissiveness that is enabling this kind of behavior. There are things that are "not allowed". There are curfews. There are privileges. I really cannot understand why parents don't exercise a thing called authority. Being involved in your child's activities isn't an invasion of privacy-- it's called parenting. You should know where your child is and what they are doing. You are legally and morally responsible for them, so ACT LIKE IT.

I agree with so many of you. Like Jennifer who responded earlier, I had my daughter two months short of my 16th birthday. everyone EXCEPT her father and my dad turned their back on me. I got kicked out of my house and then taken to court by my mother because she wanted custody of the same child she said she would not raise. I am 28 years old now and have two children. I am also in the 2% of teen mothers who graduate college by age 30 and I have two master's degrees. Life as a teeen mother is not easy and I honestly think teens do not think aboutthe consequences of what they do. they need someone to talk to them, not continue to question and harrass them. What's done is done and whether it was the wrong or right thing to do in their eyes, there is nothing anyone can do to change it. There are so many underlying issues to this one issue. It needs to start by changing this whole mentality that their children are angels and do not need to be educated about sex and pregnancy, STDs, etc. My 1st question is where are the parents. You mean to tell me that of all 17 of them, NOT ONE parents knew their daughter was pregnant. I have seen way too often parents of 12 and 13 year old girls take them to parties and movies and leave them there thinking everyhing wll be ok. There is an idea in some communities that they are teenagers now and do not need us to watch them- WRONG! What they do need is someone to talk to them like people, not lecture or punish or blame. Most teens WANT to be disciplined whether you think so or not but they also need someone to explain to them how things are done, why things happen, and why they should NOT be having sex, etc. and it shouldn't be "because I said so". BTW, it also seemed to me that the principal is in complete denial and talking around the questions presented to her the other day on the news.

Why aren't we teaching our girls to value themselves more?
Girls should believe that sex is an act for mature adults in meaningful relationships-- the fact that they're having sex with boys who they'll probably break up with in a month will leave them emotionally damaged, if nothing else. I'm not saying that all high school relationships are meaningless, but most teens aren't emotionally capable of having a mature relationship-- and sex is a mature action, with real consequences. I'm not saying abstinence education is the way to go, but sex has no place in the life of a 16-year-old. If they are focused on activities and their futures, though, they'll have more important things to think of that who they're going to bed with. Teaching teens to value their lives and invest in themselves is the way to prevent situations like this.

Emily, are you saying that birth control doesn't work? Everyone wants to talk about what kind of birth control they were using and how it "didn't work" when they got pregnant.
I am a NICU nurse, and I get so sick of seeing teenagers (and full grown women) from all races, usually poor and uneducated, having babies. More than one. Intensive care for these babies is very expensive, and these girls don't even have a lick of insurance to their names. Then they come in with disrespectful, know-it-all attitudes when we nurses try to show them how to best care for their babies. I also notice a sense of entitlement coming from this population, like we are SUPPOSED to give them diapers and formula and clothes. Get a job with benefits and support your own children, like I support mine! And get your tubes tied! It does not make sense to be 19 with 4 children under the age of three. My personal favorite is always the teenager who names her boy after the MIA daddy, when he has no intention to man up to his responsibilities. I know it takes two to tango, but sexually active girls and women need to be more responsible for their lives. In the end, they are the ones left holding the (diaper) bag.

NOT all teen moms are bad people nor bad parents! my boyfriend and i are probably financially alot better off then most of you commenting and were both under the age of 20. just because we started our family young dosnt mean that we can not raise a child!

I think something has to be done. Teens are out of control. I think parents need to get more involved in their kids lives. I'm not saying snooping, but they need to talk to their kids about sex. They should know more what their kids are up to.

I think that people who put down teen parents are wrong!! I had my daughter when i was 17 and both me and my husband have had like very little help from our parents! We have done everything she has needed on our own!! I know a girl that is 15 and a better parent then her own sister who is 23! Age has nothing to do with it it is all in the maturity of the teens!! I don't think that people should be judging teen parents if they have not been one, or have known more then one teen parent!

As a society, we seem to have given up on teens being smart and saying no to sex and are now satisfied with just giving them a condom and being glad no one's pregnant or got a disease. Nothing wrong with teaching abstinence. It gets through to some kids. Or we could, here's a thought, let the parents be responsible instead of relying on the overtaxed schools to do their job: educate. Education shouldn't be teaching morals. Teach kids how to do math, and it won't take a brain surgeon to realize that living off of welfare isn't much of a life, if any at all. Overall though it is not the parents' fault necessarily if the child gets pregnant. Even the best child can't be supervised 24/7 and have any real kind of preparedness for the world. It only takes once to get pregnant.

Though the actions of these girls may have been unwise, it is just as ignorant to pass incredibly harsh judgments on them for making a decision that they had every right to make. Others may look down upon it and say, "They're ruining their lives and wasting my tax dollars". How rude and selfish that in itself is. As human beings, we are obligated to help each other so that we may grow as a community. Accidents happen whether it be pregnancy or an uninsured person involved in a car crash. Either way, our money is going to help those who cannot help themselves sometimes and in that sense, I don't have a problem paying them. Everybody has made mistakes and needed help from others. This is no different. Instead of bashing and throwing each other under the bus, how about we rally together to support these girls who will already learn the harsh realities of bringing a child into this world. Their actions will not be without consequences and neither will ours.

Rather than point fingers at these girls, I think it's more important to investigate the problems here. Education and family support are completely necessary for young girls, and it seems like those are becoming an afterthought.

you know what? accidents happen sometimes. yeah sure some girls may want to get pregnant, but for the majority of the time it is not like that at all. And when you all say where are their mothers? are you kidding me? i know my mom did not condone me having sex and im sure your mothers were watching you like a hawk and knew you were having sex. accidents happen

I have know a few teen parents. And I agree they aren't all uncapable. But for everyone that is. There are multiple who aren't. That are ill equiped and not ready.

30+ girls in my city's school district ages 6th to 12th grade were pregnant last year alone, and our town only has a population of 12,000 or so. Many girls were on their 2nd or 3rd child with the 2nd or 3rd guy, and many of the girls were actually pregnant on purpose.

I just graduated in June, and I still don't understand how this could have ever sounded like a good idea. I would never get pregnant on purpose in school. It's rediculous, and sad.

the more something is shown to be accepted the more likely it should be expected. with movies like juno and things happening like jamie lynn spears getting pregnant, all over the media it is shown more even if it isn't shown as "accepted" it's still shown and someone might watch and say hey i should try that, not realizing the consequence, espeacially young people. (speaking as a 17-year old) the same thing happens with school shootings, someone sees it and trys it out for themselves. this is just another story to better make me believe that Jesus is coming soon. people living for themselves. Matthew 24:12 says,
"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold"
this is here already and will increase!! read the bible for yourself, and discover things that have been predicted already! God bless!

All of the media screams "Have sex before you get married cause it's fun and everybody's doing it and nothing bad happens to them!"
and then when people do have sex out of marriage the media treats it like a crime? this is the Devil's strategy to encourage you to srew up your life and leave you miserable, The Devil hates us and wants us to think this is God's fault.
God loves you enough to make a choice, and he'll show you the right way for John 14:6 says,
"I am the way and the truth and the life."

I agree that it's absolutely ridiculous for teenage girls to actually want and try to get pregnant, however teen pregnancy is not the end of the world like most of you see it. I'm a teen mother. I had my son when I was in my junior year of high school, and I managed to finish school (at a community high school that provided free daycare) and I'm currently going to college, mostly at night, and using the daycare there. So in response to all of you who are saying that gettting an education and raising a baby is impossible, or next to it, you're wrong. I'm also a single teen mother, so I'm only getting support from my end. "Gramma" isn't "expected" to babysit all the time and you're not all "paying" for my child's food stamps and health care. Not all teen mothers are dead-beat white-trash skanks. I pay for and raise my child myself. Similar to Jennifer who posted earlier, my life changed when I had my son. No partying, dating around, or any of that. Some people may say that I wasted my childhood, but I feel like I'm doing much more with my life raising a child than I would be drinking and clubbing all night.

This is not to say that all teen mothers change and realize this, though, and I don't see why they would WANT to make this change in their lives unless they were unexpectedly faced with it. I don't understand why they would try for it...But it's true, it's they're lives, and if they want babies it's their right to have babies. It just breaks my heart to see that many of them verbally state it's for all the wrong reasons, such as "they're cute to dress up" or "I think they're fun to play with."

P.S. I didn't get pregnant because I don't have good parents. My parents are some of the best parents in the world. It was a true, 100% accident, and by no means their fault. What are you going to do, expect your children to ask you for permission to have sex, and then you strap a GPS to their necks and track their every move until they're married? Parents can't always be held 100% responsible for what they're children do. Children, especially as they get older and more independent, find ways around things and do what THEY want to do...usually the influence of society. So unless you live in some secluded area in Amish Country or in a fenced-in building in the middle of nowhere, your children are going to get bad influences. Just think...if YOUR daughter got pregnant, would you want everyone to look at YOU badly? You didn't make her get pregnant, so no one should blame you. So don't blame the parents of girls who have children as teens.

This is an extremely sad story. After becoming a mother myself at the age of 13, I cannot begin to tell these girls how this decision to get pregnant will exponentially and irrevocably change their lives forever. It's such a hard thing to put into words, I cannot begin to explain. I hope these girls realize that their lives will NEVER be the same.

Nevermind that they most likely won't be able to take care of these babies. It is ILLEGAL to have sex with someone 15 yrs old in MA, regardless of how old the guy is. Many of these boys are looking at rape charges. The girls aren't the only ones who didn't think this through properly.

Nevermind that they most likely won't be able to take care of these babies. It is ILLEGAL to have sex with someone 15 yrs old in MA, regardless of how old the guy is. Many of these boys are looking at rape charges. The girls aren't the only ones who didn't think this through properly.

im a teenager and im 15. i think these kids have nothing better to do. and its not 100% the parents fult. and blaming it on the movie Juno isn't right either, i love that movie and have prolly watched it 50 times and it doesn't make me wanna go off and have a baby. and the "pregnancy pact" is creepy, and if they did it for their boyfriends so he wouldn't leave them then someone sould tell them that when the baby comes their boyfriend will more than likey leave them because "hes not ready for a kid" and to tell the truth the girl isn't either.

Whats sad is that everyone seems to think that every family should be the cookie cutter image in order for it to be right or acceptable, thats sad. Its really none of anybodys business about these girls and what they do. Its just so pathetic that this is one of the big topics in America right now. I think we have alot more to worry about then a couple girls bringing life into this world.

This story makes me very sad, and it's not because teens are getting pregnant (that is not new), but the fact that they actually made a pact to do it... obviously they are very inmature and completely lost with a big hole in their lives that they thought a baby might fill up without thinking about the real consequences of that decision. And yes, i beleive that a big part of the blame is on the parents because they are suppose to guide their children and prepare them for the real world, but sometimes even if your parents try to guide you, you are going to make your own decisions based sometimes on other influences, so we should blame our own society as well.

Well, the damage is already done so what the parents of those kids should do is help them out (for the sake of the baby) but at the same time dont make it easy on them. i was 22 when i got pregnant from my boyfriend, even though i was not a teenager i had a good job and i only had 1 semester to finish my career it was not easy for me to face that responsability and to realize that my life had to change completely because now i was responsible for another life. on top of that my boyfriend from 2 years never helped me in any way so my parents helped me by letting me live under their roof but my mom never baby sit for me the first year because she wanted me to understand that it was 100% my responsability and truts me, it worked and i thank her for that because i know that i'm a good mother because of it. and i had to keep working to support my child, my parents never bought milk or pampers for me.

if they do that it will teach their children the reality of their actions and it will also show other teens in the town that might be thinking about it too.

I am 20 with a 1 year old. Yes, I am considered a teen mom but I didn't want it at all. TRUST ME! I never thought that I would have kids, didn't even really like them. Anyways, I get the nasty looks, the nasty sneers, and the nasty comments everyday when I am with my son. Its really ridiculous how mean people can be. I don't agree with girls going out and getting pregnant on purpose, that is just stupid. If I could turn back time and make it where my son came later in my life, I would, but just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't mean you have to do it too. So stupid....

Great discussion here....

In fact, I think that's what a LOT of the problem IS in this country, is that one one is willing to have a discussion about this topic. For something that is so pervasive in the media, why is the topic of sex still so taboo in a lot of American homes?

My mother was 16 when she had me. I was placed for adoption and was lucky enough to have grown up with a wonderful family. However, my parents NEVER talked to me about sex. EVER. The only thing I learned from them was that it was 'inappropriate' and shameful. What I learned, came from an abstinance-only, public school sex ed program.

When I was 16, I had been with my boyfriend for a few years and we made the decision that this was something we wanted to do. So, I did what I THOUGHT was the responsible thing at the time and ASKED my mom if she would go with me to the doctor to be put on birth control. BIG MISTAKE. I ended up being called everything just short of a prostitute and that was the end of that. I ended up utilizing Planned Parenthood to do what I wanted anyhow and I got the proper contraceptives from there instead.

HOWEVER, this is not what some teens do! Some teens do not have access to this resource in their town and so they are simply left to do what they want the stupid way and that is how a LOT of them end up pregnant.

And what is more disgusting....is what one of the fathers of these Mass. girls said to the media....when asked why he thought so many girls from this school were pregnant within one year, his response was that "they were just unlucky I guess". UNLUCKY? Howabout STUPID?!?!?

I love how the blame was placed ALL on the girls. That is was THEIR fault or that there must have been a "pact" between them. WHAT ABOUT THE BOYS?!?!?! Where are their parents? Their rolemodels? I'm sorry, but if I EVER have a daughter, I am TERRIFIED for the kinds of BOYS she will grow up with. Most young men these days are bombarded with over-sexualized images of women in the media and this is in part a contribution to why so many girls may be becoming pregnant. Boys have NO respect for girls this day in age and with so many young girls becoming pregnant in hollywood, teens are somehow starting to think that this is NORMAL and ACCEPTABLE behavior.

I am 18 and a recent graduate of a high school where it was not unusual to have at least one teenage girl in a class that was either pregnant, had been pregnant, or had a child. It was very sad to say the least. I was a member of my high school's dance team and my senior year alone we had two girls to get pregnant and not be able to finish out the season. At one point during my junior year there were three girls pregnant in one of my classes, at the same time. I have had at least two of my closest friends to have children in the last year. I can't describe how heart breaking it is to be preparing for college and watch your friends, whom you had planned to go to college with, have to stay home and raise a child. Granted, the my friends with children, do have bright futures ahead of them. They are still attending either a community college, or some other post-secondary school that works with their obligations as mothers. They are wonderful mothers, and I have no doubt that the children will grow up in loving homes but my friends have had to grow up way too fast. And I will go on to say that for the most part these girls' parents were there, these girls knew the risks they were taking, and all I can say is things happen, and you just have to make the best of it.

As for a "pact to get pregnant" that sounds obsurd! In my opinion no teenage girl in her right mind would want to get pregnant. No girl wants to have to throw away her childhood to raise a child.

I am currenlty turning 18 years old in a few months. When I was 13 I got pregnant with my daughter and I had her when about a month after I turned 14. And no this wasnt something I chose. Why would a 13 year old plan a pregnancy. I lived day by day with critism and thats one thing I didnt deserve. My parents have ALWAYS been involved in my personal life they have been told everything I never left them out. They were very disspointed but werent going to let there own flesh and blood fall apart in the world by themselves. I delt with what was given to me. I am now about to be 18 and my daughter will soon be 4. Shes my world I dont know what I would do with out her. And I'm living my life to the fullest. I graduated and am attending NYU. My daughter is my inspiration. Even though her father left me when I told him he never let that little girl go. She's his world just as she is mine. And even though he's not with me, He's constanly with her. Im thankful for that.

Somehow I cant believe that these girls would want to make a pact of getting pregnant. They make it seem like a fashion trend. Really its not. Its something special that shouldnt be taken for granted. Pregnancy isnt something to show off to the world and gloat about it. To me what they did was wrong but I just hope that they deal with there pregnancys the best way they can. I just wish them luck because its not easy giving up your life as such a young age. But as a *teen mother* i think that something should be done about helping prevent teen pregnancy I lived through it and know the struggles, no teen should have to go through it. And no girl should plan a pregnancy just to trap their boyfriend into giving up their life. Whats wrong with that picture just because you feel like giving up yours dont get other people involved who dont wanna be.

Most of the teen moms I went to school with are still with their boyfriends/fiances, and the ones who aren't are doing fine on their own with no help from the government. True, no one should have to go through that at such an early age, but then again, we are a nation who is growing up faster every year. Maybe the few that do have children in their teen years will actually raise amazing, smart kids who are happy and healthy. And just because every once in awhile a teen mom has to go on food stamps or welfare does not mean it's every time. Yes, it is very hard to raise a child when you're that young with no help from the government, but the people who do it that way think about what a burden they may be and realize that they need to find help elsewhere.