Holy hell - 118 girls knocked up in one school

[Mr. Authority]

Well I dunno about Chicago, but here in MI the people on welfare are'nt exactly living it up with Chardonnay and Cadillac Escalades. You can include teen mothers in that group. I don't see the pursuit of living on benefits when said benefits aren't enough to begin with. I think these girl got pregnant because they never had a stable home and they think having a baby will bring them love or something. Make their lives better. Very sad if that's the case.

[A*O]

More likely they are just dumb. I'm not saying they are living in the lap of luxury on welfare but they don't have much incentive to get a job either.

[MrsDark]

Originally Posted by Mr. Authority

Well I dunno about Chicago, but here in MI the people on welfare are'nt exactly living it up with Chardonnay and Cadillac Escalades. You can include teen mothers in that group. I don't see the pursuit of living on benefits when said benefits aren't enough to begin with. I think these girl got pregnant because they never had a stable home and they think having a baby will bring them love or something. Make their lives better. Very sad if that's the case.

Maybe a few. And maybe it used to be a good deal of the time. But I don't even think that's the case as much anymore. They don't have enough to do with their babies after shooting them out for me to be convinced of that. They just don't give a fuck anymore. I don't necessarily think they believe it's the road to riches....they probably never expected Cadillac Escalades to being with....but the fact that it's not a hindrance for them financially takes away one incentive to prevent it. There are easily more incentives today for these girls to have babies than not. And you're "mean" (or insert way worse adjectives...like racist, if color is brought into it) if you try to create incentives for them not to breed. And that's the problem, in a nutshell.

[olivia]

Originally Posted by A*O

The welfare system PAYS girls to have babies. Why graduate, get a job and earn some money when the State will pay you to get knocked up instead. I bet the deadbeat fathers don't work either. Why would they? Their wages would be garnished by the child support agency. Magic Milkshakes all round please.

I've lived in countries with complete coverage for mothers and babies - which includes generous monthly stipends and full medical coverage, no questions asked, no long lines, no funny money or coupons to feel shame over, all cash in hand. Guess what - no teen pregnancy problem.

So it's not the economics, it's something else.


I think it's a meme going around now in the USA. With movies like Juno (get pregnant - get love and attention! You are special!), and so many celebs getting knocked up young, the effect is that teenaged girls compete for status with pregnancy. If there is the hint of religion in their area, they also get copious praise for not having an abortion.

The adolescent girl becomes the object of all the raging controversies in this country. And they are eating it up!

[Penny Lane]

Wasn't this a phenomenon seen in a US school about a year ago? Like some 'pregnancy pact' or something? Really stupid, young girls aren't all that opposed to having sex, popping out babies, and living off the government for the rest of their lives... the reality is the system makes this entirely possible. Sad.

[misrule]

Originally Posted by MrsDark

Maybe a few. And maybe it used to be a good deal of the time. But I don't even think that's the case as much anymore. They don't have enough to do with their babies after shooting them out for me to be convinced of that. They just don't give a fuck anymore. I don't necessarily think they believe it's the road to riches....they probably never expected Cadillac Escalades to being with....but the fact that it's not a hindrance for them financially takes away one incentive to prevent it. There are easily more incentives today for these girls to have babies than not. And you're "mean" (or insert way worse adjectives...like racist, if color is brought into it) if you try to create incentives for them not to breed. And that's the problem, in a nutshell.

The few girls I know who had their kids at 15 or 16 are living proof of this. Even in their early / mid 20's, Grandma still does a majority of the childcare, and mum spends the weekends going out, drinking, picking up guys. They still live at home (althought some don't tell the govt / welfare agencies that), don't have to pay rent or bills (even though they may work full time) so all their $$ earned is for shopping and partying.
You only realise the kid is actually theirs when they use the child as an excuse to get out of something - "I can't work early / stay late, I have a kid at home", "You can't cut back my shifts, I have a kid to support".

I know there are always exceptions to the rule, and some do take the responsibility very seriously (I know one in particular who has been a 'model' parent) but unfortunately many never actually have to take on the full responsibility of parenthood,and collect the benefits for themselves regardless of whether they're raising the child or not.

[Flak]

Looks like there will be 118 more "stanky leg" videos on youtube in a year.

And I don't buy that this is a lack of education problem, just like the obesity problem in this country isn't caused by lack of education.

[witchcurlgirl]

Chicago schools teach comprehensive sex ed, not abstinence only. This is one of the biggest cities in the US, and it's easy to get BC, or an abortion. Something else besides the school is causing it. School can teach you about BC, but it's up to you to use it. This is ignorance, poor judgment, and some other factors as well

The remark about having kids to get more public assistance make me both angry and sad.

[feliciakb]

I've seen it firsthand many times, though. I remember when the welfare-to-work programs started several years ago. The point was to help single, welfare-dependent mothers transition into the workplace. My husband's company hired quite a few. Most worked ONLY the minimum number of hours required to keep their government benefits. If they were scheduled any more hours, they would (without fail) call in sick, because any additional hours (wages) would put a dent in their benefits. Even if it meant they'd be making MORE in wages than welfare. Nope, they'd rather have the free money. Oh, and a few were even reprimanded for trying to sell their WIC food to coworkers.

Obviously, these women were a few years older, but most had started having kids in their teens. So whether or not it was initially motivated by money is anyone's guess, but they sure didn't want to give it up!

[cmmdee]

Contraception is completely dead.
How sad.
Seriously, USE A FUCKING CONDOM!

[ManxMouse]

It's a matter of culture and the cycle of single parenthood, ignorance, and poverty passed down from their own moms much more than it is about seeking benefits. I think there needs to be a major public relations campaign for abortion, it's such an underrated option these days. More abortions would do these young girls and society a world of good.

[Nightdragon]

Yeah they need to stop idolizing and romanticising the teen pregnancy thing in movies and on tv. They make it seem so glamourous and hip.

My young niece just got pregnant (dip shit) and she is on cloud nine cause of the cute little clothes and names. HELLO? Who the fuck is going to FEED all your children people?

Of course, in her case, her mother did the same thing, at the same age. So in this case, stupid is as stupid does. And I'm sure this kid will get passed around just like all 118 of those babies, relatives taking care of them when the brat-mothers want to go drinking.

OK, rage fit over. *Breathes*

[Mel1973]

At least it wasn't here in the bible belt. . . although, I thought that all the stewpid had been contained down here?

[Mel1973]

Originally Posted by Penny Lane

Wasn't this a phenomenon seen in a US school about a year ago? Like some 'pregnancy pact' or something? Really stupid, young girls aren't all that opposed to having sex, popping out babies, and living off the government for the rest of their lives... the reality is the system makes this entirely possible. Sad.

Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High - TIME
Gloucester High School in Massachusetts

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.


The question of what to do next has divided this fiercely Catholic enclave. Even with national data showing a 3% rise in teen pregnancies in 2006 — the first increase in 15 years — Gloucester isn't sure it wants to provide easier access to birth control. In any case, many residents worry that the problem goes much deeper. The past decade has been difficult for this mostly white, mostly blue-collar city (pop. 30,000). In Gloucester, perched on scenic Cape Ann, the economy has always depended on a strong fishing industry. But in recent years, such jobs have all but disappeared overseas, and with them much of the community's wherewithal. "Families are broken," says school superintendent Christopher Farmer. "Many of our young people are growing up directionless."



The girls who made the pregnancy pact — some of whom, according to Sullivan, reacted to the news that they were expecting with high fives and plans for baby showers — declined to be interviewed. So did their parents. 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."
The high school has done perhaps too good a job of embracing young mothers. Sex-ed classes end freshman year at Gloucester, where teen parents are encouraged to take their children to a free on-site day-care center. Strollers mingle seamlessly in school hallways among cheerleaders and junior ROTC. "We're proud to help the mothers stay in school," says Sue Todd, CEO of Pathways for Children, which runs the day-care center.
But by May, after nurse practitioner Kim Daly had administered some 150 pregnancy tests at Gloucester High's student clinic, she and the clinic's medical director, Dr. Brian Orr, a local pediatrician, began to advocate prescribing contraceptives regardless of parental consent, a practice at about 15 public high schools in Massachusetts. Currently Gloucester teens must travel about 20 miles (30 km) to reach the nearest women's health clinic; younger girls have to get a ride or take the train and walk. 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.
Gloucester's elected school committee plans to vote later this summer on whether to provide contraceptives. But that won't do much to solve the issue of teens wanting to get pregnant. Says rising junior Kacia Lowe, who is a classmate of the pactmakers': "No one's offered them a better option." And better options may be a tall order in a city so uncertain of its future. — With reporting by Kimberley McLeod/New York

[olivia]

Originally Posted by ManxMouse

It's a matter of culture and the cycle of single parenthood, ignorance, and poverty passed down from their own moms much more than it is about seeking benefits. I think there needs to be a major public relations campaign for abortion, it's such an underrated option these days. More abortions would do these young girls and society a world of good.

You might be trolling, but I agree. Since Planned Parenthoods are few and far between, and wildly unpopular with reactionary parents, what do you expect?

If we aren't going to meet the BC needs of teenagers, and encourage it without shame, then abortion is the only option.