17 Girls get pregnant in group pact

[madoka]

Excerpt:

As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies—more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno and Knocked Up for glamorizing young unwed mothers. But principal Joseph Sullivan knows at least part of the reason there's been such a spike in teen pregnancies in this Massachusetts fishing town. School officials started looking into the matter as early as October after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, "some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. "We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy," the principal says, shaking his head.

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

[cycocelica]

Stupidity just got a whole new definition.

[Zwhaler]

:eek: They truly actually want to be mothers, I mean they went as far as getting done by a homeless guy to get there. Makes me glad I wasn't raised in a "fiercely catholic enclave".

[nick9191]

Theres plenty of good looking guys around and they choose a homeless person :confused:

[Neil321]

Theres plenty of good looking guys around and they choose a homeless person :confused:

Hey being homeless don't make you ugly I'm living proof of that :D , but to those girl's what a bunch of dumb arses

[millar876]

silly little girls, and poor babies. I'm not saying that teen mums can't be good mums, but thier reasons for getting pregnant don't bode well. I just hope the Girls families are in a position to help when needed and to help provide a stable loving enviroment for the little uns. And I personaly would not say that Juno glamorised teen Preggy-ness, if anything I think it would do a good job of discouraging it until you're mature enough to take responsibility.

[Andrew Henry]

All I can say is...

WOW!

:eek:

[kymac]

i hope that ending their personal lives that early is worth it for them..

[CorvusCamenarum]

Can we expect to see them on Maury Povich at some point trying to figure out who knocked up whom?

It's really depressing that no one has taught these girls to see anything beyond their own selfish wants.

[notjustjay]

Wow.

And in a year, will we expect them to have a group daycare pact?

And in a few years after that, will we expect them to have a group babysitting pact? Maybe an income-sharing plan so they can all afford to raise their kids as young single moms fresh out of school?

They're not just robbing themselves of a childhood and an opportunity for a proper education and career, they're robbing their future children of being properly brought up in a functional home.

(Not to generalize about ALL young single mothers -- I've met plenty that have done their darndest for their kids -- but these kids (!) don't strike me as that type.)

[NC MacGuy]

Poor kids - the yet to be born ones that is.

If the girls had an ounce of sense left (which I doubt), they'd all make a pact to put their kids up for adoption.

Why couldn't they have just gotten kittens?

[David G.]

Such a sad story.:(

[Drumjim85]

"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."

So do their parents not show them enough love? ... this might be the saddest part of the story...

[wordmunger]

Isn't Gloucester the fishing town from "The Perfect Storm"?

I'd guess a lot of people in that town end up getting raised by single mothers, based on fisherman's mortality stats. If I remember correctly from the book, over 10,000 fishermen have died on the job over the town's history.

[Krafty]

"We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy," the principal says, shaking his head.
They go as far as having sex with people off the streets?

This is why I dont care about sex.

[Sun Baked]

They go as far as having sex with people off the streets?

This is why I dont care about sex.

Sort of shoe on other foot, a lot of guys specifically hunt for women on the street for a quickie.

[Krafty]

Sort of shoe on other foot, a lot of guys specifically hunt for women on the street for a quickie.

Good point. Didnt think of that.

[brad.c]

Today-Me had a different reaction to this story than Teenage-Me would have.

Hey being homeless don't make you ugly I'm living proof of that :D , but to those girl's what a bunch of dumb arses

Um, are you Handsome Homeless Guy, or are you a Homely Homeowner?

[Abstract]

Hey being homeless don't make you ugly I'm living proof of that :D , but to those girl's what a bunch of dumb arses

I'm sorry, but as Seinfeld said, there's no such thing as good-looking homeless.

[akonradi]

Why couldn't they have just gotten kittens?
Well, they seem dumb enough to make even a cat have a horrible life. I think that pet rocks would be more appropriate.

[leekohler]

WTF could their motivation possibly be? I hope the kids are given up for adoption. These girls are insane. :mad:

[bradl]

<rant>
In my honest opinion, as a father who has lost twins (both late second trimester losses), I hope these girls 1: carry these babies to term, 2: whether they like it or not, get their tubes completely soldered shut, to 3: never be able to reproduce again.

If I were there, I'd personally slap each one of them upside the head... HARD. The stupidity of these girls, let alone the naivety of their parents and not being in their lives is unimaginable.

Bloody sucks to be legitimately trying to have a child and lose yours, while idiotic wenches like these girls parade around with having children like it's a trip to a shopping mall. These girls don't deserve the right to have children. PERIOD.

I'm sure we'll all be waiting with baited breath to see who their pimp or john is and which trailer park they'll be living in on the next Jerry Springer.
</rant>

BL.

[Neil321]

Um, are you Handsome Homeless Guy, or are you a Homely Homeowner?

I'm sorry, but as Seinfeld said, there's no such thing as good-looking homeless.

I'm not homeless ( i own a property )but i am good looking :D , it's just that i don't agree that all homeless guys are are ugly not in the physical sense anyways, a male supermodel looses his job and is on the bones of his arse with a beard etc does that make him ugly???

WTF could their motivation possibly be?

A life sponging of the state maybe ??

[brad.c]

<rant>Rant</rant>

Wow, I'm truly sorry for the heartbreak you and your partner have suffered. I know a few people who have had similar disappointment and loss in their lives, and it is for that reason I try to never under appreciate the blessing our children have been.

It seems so cavalier to treat the responsibility of creating and nourishing life as anything less than a complete commitment of your soul and body. Youth is wasted on the young, and all too frequently fertility is wasted on the foolish.

[Neil321]

<rant>

Couldn't agree more

[wordmunger]

<rant>
</rant>

BL.

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, but they don't actually have much to do with these girls. Sometimes the world is a cruel place. Your rant just made it a crueler one.

[jeremy.king]

Babies with babies...*shrug*

If they wanted to become mothers, that's their choice. Sure its naive and unwise, but don't see why all the hate...Is there some unwritten rule about how old you need to be to become a parent? Heck, we let 16 year olds do many adult types of activities such as drive cars that can easily kill and work in real jobs - apparently, we don't want them to become parents?

My mother was pregnant at 16 and she did quite well for us...

[Daveman Deluxe]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=u5tmnBeNv18

"Actually, Bret, when I think about your children, and your children's children, I actually think that your children are too young to be having children. And as far as your children's children's children, I think, you know, where does it stop? When the children are having children, you know, it's just, how small are they gonna get?"

"Too small."

"Too small, exactly."

"That's one of the issues, and, uh..."

"It's just going to get into this ridiculous Russian doll situation."

Just thought I might introduce a little levity... :D I find that in life, most people just manage to get along OK.

[Sun Baked]

But the notion of a school handing out birth control pills has met with hostility. Says Mayor Carolyn Kirk: "Dr. Orr and Ms. Daly have no right to decide this for our children." The pair resigned in protest on May 30.

Too funny, a pregnancy problem at the high school and the city govt. is protesting the school standing in for the women's health clinic and handing out birth control pills to stem the tide.

I guess they are people who want grandchildren before the kids graduate high school.

[CorvusCamenarum]

Too funny, a pregnancy problem at the high school and the city govt. is protesting the school standing in for the women's health clinic and handing out birth control pills to stem the tide.

I guess they are people who want grandchildren before the kids graduate high school.

I don't think it would have mattered in this case, as the litter of pregnancies was not unintentional. Birth control pills wouldn't have helped. Chastity belts might have. ;)

[Antares]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=u5tmnBeNv18

"Actually, Bret, when I think about your children, and your children's children, I actually think that your children are too young to be having children. And as far as your children's children's children, I think, you know, where does it stop? When the children are having children, you know, it's just, how small are they gonna get?"

"Too small."

"Too small, exactly."

"That's one of the issues, and, uh..."

"It's just going to get into this ridiculous Russian doll situation."

Just thought I might introduce a little levity... :D I find that in life, most people just manage to get along OK.

Heh heh. :D

At least they're not like Tribbles....who are born already pregnant.

Back on this topic....the pregnancies were intentional. The girls wanted kids. They're having the kids. And the ones who have already had them seem happy about it and perfectly responsible about it (at least the ones that were interviewed).

If you're biologically able to have children, want to have children and are responsible enough to care for them....I don't see any problems doing so at any age.

[blackfox]

Odd. I'd be curious to hear the rationale behind this "pact".

As an aside, that 24 year-old-homeless guy will soon get a home - In jail - for statutory rape.

[bradl]

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, but they don't actually have much to do with these girls. Sometimes the world is a cruel place. Your rant just made it a crueler one.

Yes, the world is a cruel place, but the one thing that this does have to do with these girls is the use of good common sense. We've (SO and I) knew when to wait until we were ready to try to have kids. that takes good strong sense; something these girls do not have nor were taught to have by their parents, from puberty to now.

None of these girls have anything to support these babies they're trying to have, whether emotional, financial, physical, or otherwise.

None of these girls have the wherewithal to deal with babies on a daily basis for the next 18 years. Do you honestly think that they are ready to have kids if they make a pact like they're in a little girl's club, and bonk the next guy they see? The bulk of them aren't even 16, and I sure as hell don't want them to have kids if it is going to be my dime being spent having to help them take care of them. Michael Jackson said it best in '82:


If you can't feed your baby
then don't have a baby
And don't think maybe
If you can't feed your baby



The thing that irks me the most (and I'm being polite here as I assume this entire forum is rated G), and if you're a father, you will clearly understand this, is that there are happily married couples out there who spend YEARS trying to conceive. And some, when they do, lose their baby during pregnancy. Some couples prepare everything to bring their baby home, and are crushed when they find that their baby was born stillborn, or asphyxiated from having their umbilical cord wrapped around them. Some couples find out that they have fertility issues, leading them to think they'll never have a baby (yes, adopting does help, but there is a difference between adoption and conceiving). Yet these little bloody kids waste a gift that others would die to have, like it is a secret handshake to get into a club.

I stand by what I said; if they carry the babies to term, have them taken away and given to families who can and will take care of them, and have those girls' tubes tied and bloody well ripped out. If this is how they treat the concept of conception and childbirth, they don't deserve it.

BL.

[macEfan]

I just truly feel sorry for the unborn kids. They are being born into a hard life, yet they can't do a thing about it. They will have to suffer the consequences of their parents' decisions throughout their lives. Sure, some may grow up to be decent people, but what is to stop the remainder of them from poverty and lack of decent family.....

[andiwm2003]

Yes, the world is a cruel place, but the one thing that this does have to do with these girls is the use of good common sense. We've (SO and I) knew when to wait until we were ready to try to have kids. that takes good strong sense; something these girls do not have nor were taught to have by their parents, from puberty to now.

None of these girls have anything to support these babies they're trying to have, whether emotional, financial, physical, or otherwise.

None of these girls have the wherewithal to deal with babies on a daily basis for the next 18 years. Do you honestly think that they are ready to have kids if they make a pact like they're in a little girl's club, and bonk the next guy they see? The bulk of them aren't even 16, and I sure as hell don't want them to have kids if it is going to be my dime being spent having to help them take care of them. Michael Jackson said it best in '82:




The thing that irks me the most (and I'm being polite here as I assume this entire forum is rated G), and if you're a father, you will clearly understand this, is that there are happily married couples out there who spend YEARS trying to conceive. And some, when they do, lose their baby during pregnancy. Some couples prepare everything to bring their baby home, and are crushed when they find that their baby was born stillborn, or asphyxiated from having their umbilical cord wrapped around them. Some couples find out that they have fertility issues, leading them to think they'll never have a baby (yes, adopting does help, but there is a difference between adoption and conceiving). Yet these little bloody kids waste a gift that others would die to have, like it is a secret handshake to get into a club.

I stand by what I said; if they carry the babies to term, have them taken away and given to families who can and will take care of them, and have those girls' tubes tied and bloody well ripped out. If this is how they treat the concept of conception and childbirth, they don't deserve it.

BL.

well in a similar situation like you describe about trying to have a kid and losing it.

however our misfortune has nothing to do with these girls. they may have done something stupid (really stupid). however they don't deserve our hate. we should rather wish them the best of luck in their interest and in their children's interest. and in the end it is their life, their decision, their kids. in an intact society this shouldn't end in a desaster. who are we to judge and interfere.

and having somebody's tubes tied because you don't agree with their decision (or stupidity) is something we had in germany in 1937. we all know how that ended. sorry, i can't even imagine how you can wish for that.

the guy who committed statuatory rape of course should go away for a long time.....

[Abstract]

I'm not homeless ( i own a property )but i am good looking :D , it's just that i don't agree that all homeless guys are are ugly not in the physical sense anyways, a male supermodel looses his job and is on the bones of his arse with a beard etc does that make him ugly???


No, but the argument is that if you were good-looking, you'd never be homeless anyway, because good-looking people are subconsciously preferred for everything, even boring office work. Doesn't matter if the interviewer/employer is a heterosexual male.

[.Andy]

No, but the argument is that if you were good-looking, you'd never be homeless anyway, because good-looking people are subconsciously preferred for everything, even boring office work. Doesn't matter if the interviewer/employer is a heterosexual male.
Although mental illness doesn't care if you're good-looking or not.

[tominated]

pwned. it's their own fault if their lives go down-hill

[Les Kern]

i hope that ending their personal lives that early is worth it for them..

But it's not our call, it's theirs. And actually, I really don't care if they have 10 apiece. Contrast and compare the US to, say, Iceland, where a baby, no matter who the daddy was or how it was conceived, is a joyous occasion. Not here. "You've destroyed your life!" is heard a lot. Or "Those kids don't have a chance!" Well, of COURSE they do, or WOULD, if our culture in the US was geared more toward helping a new life begin instead of trying to crush it under dumb-ass fake-Christian ethics.
So now, are we going to see ostrication or are we going to see the commuity coming together to welcome and help some new members?
I have my idea on that.

Although mental illness doesn't care if you're good-looking or not.

OH

Although mental illness doesn't care if you're good-looking or not.

Oh, so now they are insane because they didn't conform to your world-view? Insane? Really?

i hope that ending their personal lives that early is worth it for them..

Maybe that's what they WANT in their personal lives... think of that? See, they're not thinking like you, where a baby becomes a method of self destruction. Maybe, just maybe, they are not selfish.

Such a sad story.:(

Baby's being born. Yes, so sad.
Hell, I'm not even Christian and I think it should be a little more positive than THAT.

So do their parents not show them enough love? ... this might be the saddest part of the story...

Oh Jesus.
Dr. Phil, be quiet.

[brad.c]

But

OH

Oh

Maybe

Baby

Oh

I like your avatar.

[munchmime]

each child is going to be related to the other...
seeing it's the same father.
they live in a small town.

some problems are going to develop later in the lineage of the lines, and each line is going to be crossed sooner than it should be.
if you follow what I am saying?

sort of like the case of twins separated at birth (for adoption), where they fell in love later in life...
only to find out they were twins.


this is not good.

These girls seem foolish enough to not really realize that their children are going to be half- brothers/sisters, and perhaps will think it's cute that their children are dating each other in 15 years.

(shaking head) not good.

then again - perhaps it won't happen that way. Let us hope.

[MonksMac]

That is absolutely ridiculous of those girls to do. However sadly enough I can believe it. Last school year I attended two schools. One of those schools I attended was for one period a day so I wasn't their all the time, but this gives me a way to compare two of the High schools in my area. When I was at the main campus of my high school you could not walk down the hallway and not see at least 10-20 pregnant girls walking down the hallway. It simply astounded me. That was only during part of the day. Imagine how many I would have seen if was there all day! Then at the 9th only campus of the school, starting in the later months of the year loads of pregnant girls popped up all of a sudden. These girls are 14 and 15 years old for goodness sakes! In my opinion it really makes the school look trashy and like they don't care about proper sex education.:( I guess that is Texas for you.

[CorvusCamenarum]

each child is going to be related to the other...
seeing it's the same father.
they live in a small town.

some problems are going to develop later in the lineage of the lines, and each line is going to be crossed sooner than it should be.
if you follow what I am saying?

sort of like the case of twins separated at birth (for adoption), where they fell in love later in life...
only to find out they were twins.


this is not good.

These girls seem foolish enough to not really realize that their children are going to be half- brothers/sisters, and perhaps will think it's cute that their children are dating each other in 15 years.

(shaking head) not good.

then again - perhaps it won't happen that way. Let us hope.

I think you missed something there; they only have a line on one of the potential fathers. Unless I misread something, it didn't say he serviced all the girls involved.

the guy who committed statuatory rape of course should go away for a long time.....
True, but I'm forced to wonder how many of the girls will be charged if it turns out they got pregnant from an underage boy. My guess is zero.

[blackfox]

True, but I'm forced to wonder how many of the girls will be charged if it turns out they got pregnant from an underage boy. My guess is zero.

iirc, isn't there a 2 year - difference rule? IOW, if the parties in question were 16-18, 15-17, or 17-19 - that no charges will/can be filed?

[Abstract]

Come on Les, you know the rules by now. Quintuple posting is frowned upon. ;)

Mods don't even like my double posting.

I like your avatar.

Yes, very smart.

each child is going to be related to the other...
seeing it's the same father.
they live in a small town.

some problems are going to develop later in the lineage of the lines, and each line is going to be crossed sooner than it should be.
if you follow what I am saying?

sort of like the case of twins separated at birth (for adoption), where they fell in love later in life...
only to find out they were twins.


this is not good.

Assuming these kids will have impregnate each other.

[dukebound85]

its the girls choices to have a baby. they should not be forced to put them up for adoption and those that advocate for that are oversteeping their boundaries. do you want someone telling you what to do with your life as far as having kids?

i mean, 100-150 years ago this was not the most uncommon thing for girls to have kids at a young age

im willing to bet that although these kids will be born into a hard life, they will still be better off than the majority of kids in developing countries.

is it fair to the kids to be born into hardhip? no but guess what, life isnt fair. i know many people who cant afford to go to school and now work as rig hands and i also know many that have there mommy and daddy buy them everything. all the difference is is who their parents are

simply put, it is not our place to cast judgement but instead deal with the situation and try to solve the underlying cause

[Abstract]

Yeah, I kind of agree with dukebound. And Les.

This may have been really stupid, but it's done, and I wish them the best. People shouldn't wish them bad luck, and shouldn't talk about their loss of social life, childhood, etc. That's their choice to make, it it was a conscious decision. Whether you think it's tragic or not isn't important. If they can give their child what it needs, then Ok. If they can't, and we find out that they're horrible parents, then I'll start to judge them.

[Neil321]

No, but the argument is that if you were good-looking, you'd never be homeless anyway, because good-looking people are subconsciously preferred for everything, even boring office work. Doesn't matter if the interviewer/employer is a heterosexual male.

What about good looking and as thick as pig sh*t i think it's just a subject that has no ending

Although mental illness doesn't care if you're good-looking or not.

see ?

[.Andy]

OH



Oh, so now they are insane because they didn't conform to your world-view? Insane? Really?

Whoa back up there Les! See how I was quoting abstract? I was referring to his post about the homeless guy where he stated that being good looking helps you get up in society. I was merely adding that mental illness is a common reason for people to end up on the street in most societies, due to a lack of mental health care and being good looking is no protection from that. I was by no means making a judgement on these girls. I can see how my post was ambiguous though.

[Abstract]

Well obviously there are exceptions like mental illness, but generally, you can be more incompetent and still get a job that an uglier person wouldn't be able to get, assuming the ugly guy is equally incompetent. It's a lot more difficult for good looking people to not get by in life. This is particularly true for girls. There are enough shallow guys in our society to guarantee that each beautiful girl can be catered for.

[Neil321]

pwned. it's their own fault if their lives go down-hill

Sorry mate but are you for real ?,what about people who loose there job for no fault of there own break up with the Mr or Missus,get the house repode and have no one to help them out

Well obviously there are exceptions like mental illness, but generally, you can be more incompetent and still get a job that an uglier person wouldn't be able to get, assuming the ugly guy is equally incompetent. It's a lot more difficult for good looking people to not get by in life. This is particularly true for girls. There are enough shallow guys in our society to guarantee that each beautiful girl can be catered for.

Like i said i kinda agree but i totally agree about the girl's as unfortunately I'm one of those shallow guys,i was left to make a decision between three lady's for a admin/secretary for me and three others,two were butt ugly one wasn't guess which one i recommended for the job??,but hey she's something you could stare at all day long & it helps break the day up ( oh and before someone rants off on one about this comment they all had the same qualifications ) & no were not being taken to court for ugly discrimination

[.Andy]

Well obviously there are exceptions like mental illness, but generally, you can be more incompetent and still get a job that an uglier person wouldn't be able to get, assuming the ugly guy is equally incompetent.
I completely agree with you here Abstract. I meant the mental illness thing as an addition to your post. In fact I helped out on a research study (which wasn't published unfortunately as it wasn't novel enough :() which showed this exact same thing. As part of the study we presented subjects with two CVs with attached photos for a secretarial job. One was a large woman who wasn't particularly attractive but had a sterling CV. The other was a blonde fox who had a very basic CV. IIRC ~70% of the people ended up choosing the good-looking CV. They rationalised it by saying that they thought the unattractive applicant was over-qualified, or wouldn't be happy in the position and move on quickly etc. Or as per Neil^^^^ :D!

It's a lot more difficult for good looking people to not get by in life.
Chin up Abstract. You're not that bad looking ;).

[CorvusCamenarum]

iirc, isn't there a 2 year - difference rule? IOW, if the parties in question were 16-18, 15-17, or 17-19 - that no charges will/can be filed?

Apparently not in Massachusetts. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_North_America#Massachusetts)

[Blue Velvet]

So. This what happens when you cut sexual education budgets, relying on abstinence programs instead.


In May the medical director and nurse at the school clinic resigned in protest at the refusal of the local hospital that controls their funds to allow them to distribute contraceptives to pupils without parental consent.

In the absence of provision by the clinic, students must travel 20 miles to the nearest women's health clinic.

The state of Massachusetts has also been cutting back on sex education in schools as part of its budgetary belt-tightening. A local provider of reproductive health education has slashed its outreach staff from eight to one full-time worker.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/21/usa

[Abstract]

I never thought a school would be stupid enough to make budget cuts to sexual education.

Drama club? Sure, OK. Make cuts to that department. It's not ideal, but we'll definitely be OK.

Physical education? It's not great, but again, we'll scrape by. Eventually, these kids will stop taking P.E. and have to learn to become self-motivated anyway. The system has worked well if they have made students very aware of the benefits of keeping fit and staying healthy.

Sexual education shouldn't be tampered with, really. There are enough teenagers who are confused even after sex ed. By making it worse, situations like this (regarding the 17 year old girls) may get worse and more frequent.



Chin up Abstract. You're not that bad looking ;).

So you've been drinking?


At least I'm...like.....good with words and stuff. That gets me thru life real good.

[Shakenntstirred]

I only hope that these girls mothers don't try to bail them out of the mess they have gotten themselves into. I hope they make them go through with this and do everything in taking care of these babies. Make them get up for feedings every two hours, walk the floor with them when they don't stop crying, don't babysit just because they want to go on a date or a party or hang out. Make them pay for a babysitter if they need one, just like we adults have to do. Also, I think the boys, or in one case, men, that fathered these babies should be just as accountable as the girls. We all know it thats two...Even if they were told the girl was on birth control ,he should have thought....."If she is on birth control,that isn't always for sure, or... she must be having sex with others, and could have some disease" All kids are aware of rubbers!!!
This story is about as mind blowing as anything I have ever heard in a long time. It just goes to show how immature our kids of today are. It is scary to think they will be in charge of this country some day.

[teflon]

And I personaly would not say that Juno glamorised teen Preggy-ness, if anything I think it would do a good job of discouraging it until you're mature enough to take responsibility.

People just like to point fingers at the media to escape their own responsibilities.

Babies with babies...*shrug*

If they wanted to become mothers, that's their choice. Sure its naive and unwise, but don't see why all the hate...Is there some unwritten rule about how old you need to be to become a parent? Heck, we let 16 year olds do many adult types of activities such as drive cars that can easily kill and work in real jobs - apparently, we don't want them to become parents?

My mother was pregnant at 16 and she did quite well for us...

Exactly! Props to your mom. I can only imagine the hardships and the stares she had to endure because of people's intolerant nature.

<rant>

</rant>

BL.

Yes, the world is a cruel place, but the one thing that this does have to do with these girls is the use of good common sense. We've (SO and I) knew when to wait until we were ready to try to have kids. that takes good strong sense; something these girls do not have nor were taught to have by their parents, from puberty to now.

None of these girls have anything to support these babies they're trying to have, whether emotional, financial, physical, or otherwise.

None of these girls have the wherewithal to deal with babies on a daily basis for the next 18 years. Do you honestly think that they are ready to have kids if they make a pact like they're in a little girl's club, and bonk the next guy they see? The bulk of them aren't even 16, and I sure as hell don't want them to have kids if it is going to be my dime being spent having to help them take care of them. Michael Jackson said it best in '82:

The thing that irks me the most (and I'm being polite here as I assume this entire forum is rated G), and if you're a father, you will clearly understand this, is that there are happily married couples out there who spend YEARS trying to conceive. And some, when they do, lose their baby during pregnancy. Some couples prepare everything to bring their baby home, and are crushed when they find that their baby was born stillborn, or asphyxiated from having their umbilical cord wrapped around them. Some couples find out that they have fertility issues, leading them to think they'll never have a baby (yes, adopting does help, but there is a difference between adoption and conceiving). Yet these little bloody kids waste a gift that others would die to have, like it is a secret handshake to get into a club.

I stand by what I said; if they carry the babies to term, have them taken away and given to families who can and will take care of them, and have those girls' tubes tied and bloody well ripped out. If this is how they treat the concept of conception and childbirth, they don't deserve it.

BL.

What happened to you and your SO was unfortunate, and I'm truly sorry for your lost. I know someone who lost her baby at 8 months, and it really crushed her and everyone who knew her as we were all so excited for her and guessing the sex and suggesting names. However, it is not up to you to decide who deserves a baby or not, or who is capable of taking care of them. You say it's unfair that there are people who try so hard to get a baby but can't, then there are people who don't value the gift of fertility. How do you know that they don't value this gift? How do you know that they're taking this lightly? How do you know that they can't satisfy the emotional or physical needs of their babies, or even financially? And to suggest taking their babies away from them and tying their tubes forcefully is just downright inhumane. Don't take out your bitterness on others. As for your tax money, it goes to help many single mothers or other families who can't provide for their children anyway. As a society, we should do our best to ensure that everyone at least gets their basic needs. Even if the mothers don't deserve it, the kids do.


This story is about as mind blowing as anything I have ever heard in a long time. It just goes to show how immature our kids of today are. It is scary to think they will be in charge of this country some day.

I don't think a single story is an adequate representation of the youth today. 17 girls out of 600 is pregnant at the school, people just don't want to hear about the other 583.


I agree with Les Kerns, it is their decision and we have no right to judge people that we don't know. The journalist who wrote this article seems to have a distaste for teen mothers, and only limited information is revealed. There is no evidence to support that they're going to be uncaring, immature and irresponsible mothers. Also, sometimes having a child will change the mother and make them have a better life. Before having a child, those girls are lost, with no goals in life. After having a child, they have a reason to fight for a better future, they have a reason to be a better person, because they want their children to be proud of them, they want their children to have a good life. I wonder if there will be as many oppositions if the girls were 22. There are 17 year old girls who are more mature than 22 year old girls and more ready to have children. There are 17 year old girls who are ready to give up their social life and take care of their children, and there are 22 year old girls who just want to party all day and would probably kill themselves before they have to be stuck with a kid. Age isn't always an indication of maturity.

[elfin buddy]

Found this on Fark: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110ap_pregnancy_pact.html

Apparently the school's principal has no evidence to back up his claim of seventeen girls making a pregnancy pact.

[jeremy.king]

Apparently the school's principal has no evidence to back up his claim of seventeen girls making a pregnancy pact.

Nope...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/23/eveningnews/main4201301.shtml

Instead, now the media blames the popular youth celebrity pregnancies??? Seriously?

[Antares]

You know, I also first read this as "17 Girls get pregnant in group act." I did a double take and then read it correctly.

[Don't panic]

....
So now, are we going to see ostrication or are we going to see the commuity coming together to welcome and help some new members?
I have my idea on that.

Hopefully not, ostriches can be downright vicious when unleashed on unwitting victims.

[Consultant]

Business idea.

Open a friggen PET SHOP in that town, call it "love of your life" or something these people will think they'll find love. Sell some really cute dogs and what nots. Problem solved (if these people can actually afford to buy a pet). I guess the slogan can be: Tell your parent, if I don't get a puppy I am having a kid with the homeless guy...

Obviously they have no idea how much work it is to take care even of a pet, nevermind a child, changing diaper, etc.

-----------

By the way I wouldn't care if tax money won't go to feed those people, but reason many hate these people is that these people end up having more kids so they can get more welfare checks, because they have no time to go to work.

[Antares]

Business idea.

Open a friggen PET SHOP in that town, call it "love of your life" or something these people will think they'll find love. Sell some really cute dogs and what nots.

In all seriousness, that's actually a really good name for a pet shelter (not a pet shop). I really like it. It tugs at the heart and speaks to the bond between people and their pet. :)

Back on topic. Just beacuse they are young, does not mean they will not make good mothers. It also doesn't necessarily mean that their "lives are over."

[Shakenntstirred]

Yeah, I kind of agree with dukebound. And Les.

This may have been really stupid, but it's done, and I wish them the best. People shouldn't wish them bad luck, and shouldn't talk about their loss of social life, childhood, etc. That's their choice to make, it it was a conscious decision. Whether you think it's tragic or not isn't important. If they can give their child what it needs, then Ok. If they can't, and we find out that they're horrible parents, then I'll start to judge them.

I can not believe some of the stuff I am reading on here!!!! Who is writting this, 13-17 year olds?? By the time it is discovered that they are "horrible" parents it just might be too late, and an actual JUDGE will be judging them!!!! The child might be injured or worse DEAD by that time. Do you actually read the paper or listen to the news? It happens all the time!
And if by the grace of God it is caught before that happens, who will be taking care of the child then? US TAX PAYERS, THAT IS WHO! With the cost of everything going sky high I for one can't afford to raise someone elses child just because some young child themself thought she wanted to be COOL and have a baby!
These kids that is on the new show "Baby Borrowers" are a real trip. Just goes to show how they really think. They don't have a clue!

[ErikCLDR]

Wow. What a stupid decision.

I don't care about the girls, I care about the 17 babies that are going to have a messed up childhood.

Not that teenage mothers can't adequately raise a child, but it usually ends up the mother raising the child while the teenage mother works or goes to school to try to support the child.

We had two teen pregnancies this year at my school (700 students). In one case, this boy and girl went to catholic school together, conceived a child, and got kicked out, the father does support his girlfriend although they don't go out anymore. The other case is a boy that cheated on his real girlfriend and knocked up his one night stand. Now the girl is pregnant, she's not going to college, and she works constantly at dunkin donuts to get money to support the child. The boy however wants nothing to do with the child. It's really quite unfortunate.

I believe in an ideal world every child should be born to a loving mother and father that have the means and ability to support them. It's not the job of the grandparents to fully raise the child.

At the same time though, I see many irresponsible adults having children, like my uncle. He knocks up some girl, they get married, the baby is born, they're together for a year, then they divorce and he loses everything except his company owned BMW. Or just watch Jerry Springer.

[Abstract]

[/COLOR][/COLOR]

I can not believe some of the stuff I am reading on here!!!! Who is writting this, 13-17 year olds?? By the time it is discovered that they are "horrible" parents it just might be too late, and an actual JUDGE will be judging them!!!! The child might be injured or worse DEAD by that time. Do you actually read the paper or listen to the news? It happens all the time!
And if by the grace of God it is caught before that happens, who will be taking care of the child then? US TAX PAYERS, THAT IS WHO! With the cost of everything going sky high I for one can't afford to raise someone elses child just because some young child themself thought she wanted to be COOL and have a baby!
These kids that is on the new show "Baby Borrowers" are a real trip. Just goes to show how they really think. They don't have a clue!

Did you read what I wrote?

I said it was really stupid, but since this has already happened (it's the news after all, not the psychic hotline), why wish them any sort of bad luck, or curse them in any way? Their children are of greatest concern for me. Anyone who said, "What about the loss of their own childhood, social life? What about the responsibility?", has assumed these girls didn't know this. They probably knew what they were giving up. However, they probably didn't know how valuable it was. Whatever. Again, this was their decision, and you don't have to agree with it. I certainly don't. They'll miss out on a lot, and will regret it in a few years. It's not our problem though, and as long as it doesn't end up hurting their kids, then they can quietly regret giving up their dreams for as long as they wish.

People shouldn't just hope the girls burn in hell, or hope they don't mess up too badly. It doesn't help. Remember, they're already pregnant. The best thing to hope for is that they become caring, responsible parents. The parents having a good education and a nice house doesn't guarantee a stable or caring childhood either. No factors related to income, support, education, or their own upbringing will ever guarantee that their kids are brought up well. There's just too many factors that will decide that, although having 2 parents is a start. I'm more concerned about the kids having 2 stable parents than their loss of their youth, or their potentially low income. My mum didn't go to university, and my dad was.......bad, and yet I'm not a total mess. I'm happy, have a good education, and have a positive outlook.

[teflon]

[/COLOR][/COLOR]

I can not believe some of the stuff I am reading on here!!!! Who is writting this, 13-17 year olds?? By the time it is discovered that they are "horrible" parents it just might be too late, and an actual JUDGE will be judging them!!!! The child might be injured or worse DEAD by that time. Do you actually read the paper or listen to the news? It happens all the time!
And if by the grace of God it is caught before that happens, who will be taking care of the child then? US TAX PAYERS, THAT IS WHO! With the cost of everything going sky high I for one can't afford to raise someone elses child just because some young child themself thought she wanted to be COOL and have a baby!
These kids that is on the new show "Baby Borrowers" are a real trip. Just goes to show how they really think. They don't have a clue!

There are plenty of horrible adult parents. I have heard more about adult parents who abused their children, caused them injuries due to negligence or even killed them. Think about all the parents on the news in the past few years that have killed their children. Think about the man that locked up his daughter for over 20 years. They were all adults! Bottom line is, you don't know these girls, so don't judge them.
Also, it's too late to forsake them. If their children do end up in the system, no amount of complaining is going to stop part of your tax money from going to them.
Lastly, I think people ought to be a little more understanding and even sympathetic. What drove them to the point that they are willing to give up their social life, endure the stares and curses of thousands, just to have something that they have plenty of time for later? No 17 year old just wake up one day and decide to have a baby. Isolation, loneliness, misunderstanding, all the bottled up emotion could have led them to this decision. And if a young member of the society went through a lot and made a few bad choices, I think the society should be a little more understanding and forgiving. I have no problem that some of the taxes that I pay will go to a child in need. Plus, it's not like you have to pay less tax if there are no teenage mothers, so what difference does it make to you where your tax money end up going? If the government thinks that it is a worthy cause, who are you to say that it isn't?