Great Expectations for Young Mothers

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By Mirah Riben (about the author) Page 2 of 2 page(s)

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The uncle of Jamie Lynn Spear’s baby’s father in an interview calmly recognized that it was not the best idea for her to be pregnant. But he said, “It’s also not the worst thing that could happen.” With support, the best can be made of an untimely situation. Fantasia Barrino, for example, went from single teen mother to winner of American Idol to Broadway in the starring role of Celie in The Color Purple.

Teen mothers report:

"It's hard, but it's worth it—that's what I think."

"If you have a baby, it’s not the end of the world, and you have to make the best decision for your kid. Don’t let it stop your dreams—just keep pursuing them." (5)

Conclusions

The role of family and society is to support all expectant mothers and mothers, not to judge who is “deserving” of the joys of motherhood and who is not based on arbitrary factors such as youth or finances. All mothers-to-be deserve to receive unbiased information the pros and cons in objective terms and assistance to go forward with their decision.

The Gloucester High School pact is an anomaly, and according to many psychologists has more to do with teens seeking peer support in defying social norms. According to Gracie Hsu of the Family Research Council, "contrary to the common perception that teenage sex and pregnancy typically stem from two teenagers getting caught up in the heat of the moment, new research reveals that many teenage girls are being sexually exploited and impregnated by adult men." That is a serious situation that needs to be addressed rather than shaming young victims.

Adoption is not a solution for teen pregnancy. According to Bernadette Wright, PhD and president of origins-USA, a national non profit that advocates for the rights pf mothers and keeping families together: “It merely exploits the situation to fill a demand for infants to adopt while creating lifelong grief, guilt and shame for mothers and feelings of abandonment and rejection for their children.”

The way to reduce teen pregnancies is to broaden and increase health and sex education from “abstinence-only” to including birth control methods.

(1) Teen Pregnancy Losing Stigma: Report, January 21, 2008, CityNews.ca Staff

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Author of "shedding light on...The Dark Side of Adoption" (1988) and "The Stork Market: America's Multi-Billion Dollar Unregulated Adoption Industry" (2007) (more...)

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