16 and Pregnant

This is one of my guilty pleasures. I have mixed feelings as to whether or not it is advocating and glamorizing teenage pregnancy, or whether it is discouraging teen pregnancy. I like that as a disclaimer, the show states that "teen pregnancy is 100% preventable" and includes a website (itsyoursexlife.org). The site is interesting; informative, a place where people can post questions, locate resources. Abstinence is not mentioned anywhere on the site though. Personally, I believe in comprehensive sex education, but I believe abstinence has a place in the curriculum. Especially in an over-sexualized culture, I think it is important to teach teens that in reality, NOT everyone is doing it. Much of sex education belongs in the home, and should take place before the child is faced with the actual decision to "go all the way" or not. Again, another opinion.

Even with all the resources in the world, I think some people choose their consequences. A friend of mine, very sexually active, had a child shortly after our high school graduation. Her life has not been easy, nor has she embraced motherhood the way I envision myself embracing that part of my life. Even after the birth of her daughter, she continues to use contraceptives only sometimes- but not all the time. I wonder how people make those decisions so irresponsibly; especially after experiencing the consequences of that action once before. More recently, she found herself in the same position, with father #2 and baby #2. Baby #2 was not carried out to term. My heart broke that she made this decision. She had called me to see what I thought, but later let me know the decision she had made. Father #2 had strongly persuaded her; at times something she furiously resents.