This article has been a hot topic for the past week. Teen girls getting pregnant, high-fiving each other and making pacts to raise babies together. This poses us to ask, “How did this phenomenon happen? Who or what is to blame? How can we stop it?” These are very complicated and intricate questions which have equally complicated solutions. I don’t claim to have a solution, but I suggest a different approach to the problem.
Some blame the media’s glamorization of pregnancy in young women- Jessica Alba, Nicole Richie, rumors of Ashlee Simpson etc. Others blame movies such as Juno or Knocked Up and state these movies undermine the responsibilities of pregnancy and raising children. Another theory is the economic downfall of Gloucaester- a small fishing town whose work has been outsourced. Or could it be the lack of sex education in schools? Should schools have contraceptives readily available for teens?
The fact of the matter is the decision to become sexually active is heavily influenced by different factors such as religion, peers, media, and home life. We know that the media is deeply embedded in our lives, sometimes at an unconscious level. Tabloids, movies and celebrity gossip sites have become a part of our American culture which unfortunately yields more bad than good (in my opinion, of course). Having contraception readily available to teenagers without the consent of a parent may seem like the solution; however, if a teen consciously chooses to get pregnant, birth control is useless. It is also very important to note that the teen pregnancies are resulting from “broken families”- due to the downward spiral of the town’s economy. The article states the girls want to be “unconditionally loved”. Without a family to love and guide them, its no surprise why they would seek out pregnancy as a solution.
Since I believe all these factors (and perhaps more) to contribute to the rise in teen pregnancy, I suggest a multi-perspectival view of this phenomenon. To solely blame one factor is faulty. To believe that some birth control and a few jobs will solve the problem is completely naive, not to mention ignorant. As a society, we ought to understand that there are no simple solutions for a problem like this. Not only do we need to investigate the crux of the problem, we ought to investigate how and where all these factors intersect. Why not family counseling for the “broken families”, more community involvement, more informative sex ed courses, classes on understanding the media and a mentoring program for young teen girls? Yes, all at once. My point is, whatever the solution is, do not expect it to be straight-forward. An effective solution will be multifaceted and complicated.
Edited: As of July 5th, 2008, LiveScience claims the teenage pregnancy pact to be a rumor. The pacts may have been a rumor, but I still stand by my opinion.
