A Welcome Surprise?
by Amanda Keegan
This year, the small town of Gloucester, Massachusetts will welcome the births of 17 beautiful babies. While this figure may not appear out of the ordinary for communities across the United States, there is one surprising twist-all of the mothers are in high school.
Over the past month, the story of the Gloucester High School baby boom has sparked a whirlwind debate across the country regarding issues such as the availability of contraceptives to students, the media's glamorization of sex and pregnancy, and the different ways teens are seeking a sense of fulfillment in life. But the biggest controversy surrounding this story was a comment made by Gloucester principal Joseph Sullivan, claiming that the girls "confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together."
The girls, however, have a different story to tell. At only 17, Lindsey Oliver added her name to the list of pregnant teens at Gloucester High School when she found out she was pregnant last spring. Due this November, Lindsey and her boyfriend, a 20-year-old college student, sat down for an interview with Good Morning America to set the record straight. "There was definitely no pact," she claimed, suggesting that the pregnancies were all a coincidence. "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 added. Pact or no pact, these teens are still pregnant. Families across the country are asking why.
While there are many different hypotheses about this issue, three different theories seem to stand out amongst the rest. Teens who feel socially outcast are desperate to feel a sense of belonging and self worth. If they are hopeless enough, they will turn to pregnancy to fill this perceived void. Another suggestion points fingers at the media, claiming that they have "glamorized" teenage pregnancy in movies and magazines. The final theory blames national abstinence programs, which advocate no sex instead of safe sex. It appears that these three theories collectively can help explain the biggest rise in pregnancy since 1991 for girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years old.
The girls who turn to pregnancy as a way to validate their own existence are the most desperate. These girls may not have a great home life or they could be in physically or emotionally abusive relationships. If a girl fears that her boyfriend will break up with her, she may purposely get pregnant to keep him around. Some of these teenagers also long for someone to love them unconditionally, even if it means having a child of their own. Sue Todd, the CEO of Pathways for Children, the daycare provider at Gloucester High School, claims that these girls fit a certain profile, "They're socially isolated, and they don't have the support of their families." Having a child therefore provides a purposeful existence for the girls who feel ultimately hopeless.
The media could also be blamed, especially with the heightened focus on Hollywood baby bumps over the past few years. The biggest teen pregnancy shocker this year was 17-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears, who gave birth on June 19, 2008. When she found out she was pregnant, Spears sold her story to OK! Magazine for a reported $1 million—a staggering amount of money for a teenage pregnancy report. Spears, a Nickelodeon sitcom star, was a role model for teenage girls across the nation. For better or for worse, there is no doubt that her pregnancy had some impact on how her fans felt about teenage motherhood. Officials are also placing blame on movies such as last year's box office hit Juno, a film about a teenage girl becoming pregnant and giving her child up for adoption. Ultimately, both the positive and negative media hype that surrounded these two examples promoted teen pregnancy.
The final mainstream issue surrounding teenage pregnancy seems to be the ineffectiveness of health education. According to a statement released by Congress on April 23, 2008, "the U.S. has spent more than $1.5 billion" on abstinence-only programs in public schools. But according to statistics, these programs aren't working. One in four U.S. teen girls now has an STD, the statistics say, and teen pregnancy rates are the highest they have been in nearly 20 years. Why? These programs only teach abstinence, an optimistic view when many teens have sex anyway. Congress has since called for a policy that will reform sex education, beginning with programs that teach abstinence as well as contraception.
Unfortunately, these programs are arriving a little too late for the 17 new mothers of Gloucester High School. While adults across the country point fingers, these girls are doing the most responsible thing they can right now-ask for help. Under their pact, they will continue to seek the help of each other as they vow to finish out their high school years, with or without babies in their arms.
For a list of sources, email the writer at amandakeegan@crossingsmagazine.org.
