Sunday, June 22, 2008

Pregnancy Pact

Of all the stupid things teenagers do, this is by far the dumbest. A group of 17 teenage girls at Gloucester High School -the oldest being 16- made a pact to get pregnant and raise their children together. If you read the article on msnbc and other articles concerning this issue, it will seem as if these girls became pregnant because they thought it was "cool." One girl even paid a 24-year-old homeless man to get her pregnant.


Some say that the pregnancy of Jamie Lynn Spears is what inspired these girls "This trend was highlighted Thursday when Britney Spears' 17-year-old sister Jamie Lynn, star of Nickelodeon's popular TV show "Zoey 101," gave birth to a baby girl, according to People magazine." They also say that movies like Juno and Knocked Up helped inspire these pregnancies.

Truth of the matter is, is that "Birth rates for teenagers aged 15 to 17 rose by 3 percent in 2006, the first increase since 1991, according to preliminary data released in December by the National Center for Health Statistics." Meaning that this trend started way before any obvious forms of pop-culture could've effected them.


It's just mind boggling how ridiculous these actions are. Why the heck would a bunch of teenage girls get pregnant? It cannot possibly be TV. TV doesn't make it sound easy one bit (and I watched Gilmore Girls where mom & daughter ended up having it really good). I mean, seriously. what the heck is wrong with people these days?


I'm going to be frum and blame moms for not spending enough time with their children. Darn working moms! If they only paid attention to their young instead of sticking them infront of TV's and allowing the schools to be the only forms of education, these retarded teens wouldn't be- as retarded-!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

The story I read gave this reason:

"But Amanda Ireland, who graduated from Gloucester High on June 8, thinks she knows why these girls wanted to get pregnant. Ireland, 18, gave birth her freshman year and says some of her now pregnant schoolmates regularly approached her in the hall, remarking how lucky she was to have a baby. "They're so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally," Ireland says. "I try to explain it's hard to feel loved when an infant is screaming to be fed at 3 a.m."

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815845,00.html

frumskeptic said...

thats crazy!

I mean, Teenage years suck like crazy, but to think that the only way to have love is by having a baby is completely wack!

These girls really need therapy. REALLLLLY. And their parents really need to tell them each morning "sweety, we love you" Or s/t similar.

Mikeinmidwood said...

This is new to me. when was this article published. And the reason sounds like a good one but also stupid.

Rachel said...

Oh, don't fret. Jim Bobson was reported as stating that the girls will, in fact, be shipped off to a penal colony, not dissimilar to Devil's Island, where they will be forced to plant turnips and eat potatoes all day. They most definitely will not be able to influence any future generation of proper young ladies.

Anonymous said...

And just to think; when I decided to become a hobo my mom said that no woman would ever want me. Guess she'll be eating some humble pie!

frum single female said...

yes, for ages ive heard that teenage girls want to get pregnant just to have someone to love them. i never could understand this sentiment. when i was sixteen that was the last thing i would have wanted to do. i had younger siblings, so i knew the score. what ever happend to just wanting just a boyfriend ?

Anonymous said...

what i dont understand is why the frum community accepts teenage pregnancy and yes ok i understand the girls are married to the guys they are having the baby with but hello anyone ever hear of the girl in hs who gets engaged as a freshman and then has a baby and yeah u may say that they are sephardic and even so there is no excuse and this is definitely not outdated by the mere fact that i received a txt message just last week telling me that a girl in 11th grade got engaged before the school year was even over, and based on her older siblings she will most likely be pregnant within one year from now...so my question is why would the frum community and most of all her parents accept this way of life and the non-religious cant? i mean it just doesnt make sense would they rather the girl gets married to the guy who gets her pregnant? because then the divorce rate in this country will def. sky rocket and if you are going to use jamie lynn spears as an example she is not marrying the babys daddy so far they were engaged then broke it off and who knows what, and now her mom is writing a tell all book, so this topic can go either way being that the teens parents are messed up and dont know how to raise their own children, or maybe just maybe the teen themselves are messed up and need some kind of psychological counseling to see why they are in such desperate need of having a baby even if it is just for unconditional love...

Anonymous said...

Ok dont hate me but just to play devils advocate remember when you were 15 or 16 and the idea of a baby was a little plaything who would always love you and be there. In a weird way I kinda sorta understand a little what some of these girls were probably thinking.

about the mom issue, the article I read said something along the lines that many of the families in this town were falling apart because of job layoffs, so who knows what these girls were going through, though they need serious therapy.

The only thing I took away from Gilmore girls was a deeper appreciation for obscure indie pop and The Illiad.

Lmao at Frum Punk, if i ever want to make my own pregnancy pact i now know where to go.

Ookamikun said...

Wasn't there a story about a year ago about 12 year old girls in England doing the same thing?

David Staum said...

Until I read your last paragraph, I was going to say almost the same thing you did. But your assertion that it is the moms that are to blame is odd.

First of all, there are two parents, so why put the onus on the mothers?

Second of all, there are plenty of working parents that still manage to instill good values in their daughters and to spend time with them.

I agree with you somewhat, but only in that the problem likely lies not with the fact of TV & movies but with these girls' particular parents (both moms & dads.)

It's not the TV and movie watching itself, but that fact that for these girls that media influence may have been in a vaccuum of parental guidance. Plenty of girls watched Juno and still managed not to get pregnant.

Another problem I have with your last paragraph - you imply that the moms should be staying home. Leaving aside the 50's mentality of that, exacly how many families do you think can support themselves on a single salary these days??

And lastly, any blame on the parents of these 17 girls is only speculation, albeit intelligent speculation. Some of them may have been wonderful parents whose teens got caught up in some warped peer pressure. Kids today are very skilled at leaving their parents clueless. We don't know what went on for sure.

Anonymous said...

TV and movies are to blame- and the dumbing down of society in the name of celebrities.

Fine with me because the economy is doing so poor- we educated folks should have a better chance of getting jobs in the long run.

Mikeinmidwood said...

FS

About the job and the smarter getting the it. The employer would also be dumb so not such a great chance. Also many people dont want to hire people smarter than them.

David Staum said...

what i dont understand is why the frum community accepts teenage pregnancy

frustrated frummie,

That reminds me of a humorous article I wrote a few years ago:

http://www.bangitout.com/tdb66.html

David Staum said...

OK, the link should be active for this one:

http://www.bangitout.com/tdb66.html

David Staum said...

OK, the link should be active for this one:

http://www.bangitout.com/tdb66.html

David Staum said...

Pregnant student denies pregnancy pact

Anonymous said...

This is ridiculous! I agree that its in teenage part of life where we need some special partner to love and to be loved with but here getting pregnant is just ridiculous. The tv also plays a part of the role in this case but not the sole cause. Parents should also be blamed for giving a chance to their children and by not taking care Completely
http://www.ebizwebbiz.com/amardeeprk/

Jewish Side of Babysitter said...

I read about this from the Parent Dish

It's really crazy, that it comes to something like this.

But in a way I understand, since I can't wait to have my own baby. But I wouldn't do something stupid like that. Part of the greatness of having a baby is to have it with someone you love and that will help raise it and be with you forever, which is something those girls weren't thinking about.