Pregnant Teens Not Allowed

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September 26, 2012 4:14 pm By Kay Konnect
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I was surprised when my mother voiced her opinion about pregnant teens out of the blue the other day. She felt they should attend schools with other teens that are also pregnant and not be allowed to receive their education in ‘general population’ so to speak. Initially, I felt her thoughts were a bit archaic but I had to consider the fact that her school of thought was heavily influenced by generational beliefs. Her views are based on the fact that girls who aren’t pregnant may become distracted by pregnant teens and misled to believe that it’s something for which to strive. In other words, she thinks your un-pregnant teen may get the idea that it’s “cute” to be with child.

I remember being pregnant my senior year in college and wondering why all of my girlfriend’s moms gave me the same fake plastic smile whenever I came around. Now I realize it was because they were praying day and night that I would not shove my “pregnant-ness” on their daughter. I also had several clients when I was a Social Worker who were pregnant and it broke my heart to know the road they had ahead of them. I have frequented high schools that looked more like OB/GYN offices because of the number of pregnant teens walking the halls. But wait, shouldn’t we be applauding these girls for sticking it out and trying to graduate? I think my biggest concern is the liability that exists with a pregnant girl trying to navigate through the insanely busy hallways subjected to the horse play that naturally occurs between class changes. At the end of the day the goal is to educate our teenagers about abstinence and safe sex, but once it’s too late, do you think pregnant girls should be exiled Scarlet Letter style?

Words By: Sid Powell
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Comments

  • A Miller

    Great perspective! I understand both views now that I’m a mother. Well done!!

  • http://twitter.com/x_GoldBlooded Except for Gigi.

    As a teenage i think both views are very valid… this is an interesting topic i never even thought to consider but this really made me think

  • JP

    Teen pregnancy in the 60′s was taboo, if you happen to be the teen, you would not be attending regular school. You would leave school, have your baby, and hopefully you would either attend night school or get a GED, of course if your family had money you could go away, have the child, give it up for adoption and return as if you just had a serious illness and was now cured.. I was taken back one day while visiting a High School in Atlanta when I saw more than one very pregnant teens, when I asked about it I was told to wait until lunch time and I would see many more. I was wondering if that was the norm on the north side, or only in the inner-city schools. I truly believe the pregnant teen deserves the same education opportunities ,however I feel that once they begin to show, they should be transferred to a school for the girls to attend where the focus would be not only on their formal education but also on preparation for MOTHERHOOD, and or educate them on the other options available. . Remember this was before Roe V Wade so abortion was not a legal option, that is another story. Talk to your girls early, elementary school age, don’t wait until it is too late.

  • Karen Ferguson

    I agree with JP. A school that would give them their education AND instruction to prepare them for motherhood would be a great idea. It’s hard enough to be a mom in your 30s, much less as a teen. I’ve heard before that pregnancy is “contagious” for teenagers, and I do believe there is some truth to it; however, I think most teenage pregnancies are accidental. Of course they know “how” you get pregnant, but teens have the mentality of “it’ll never happen to me” and they take chances. Yes, early conversations with girls (and boys) should happen – not only about pregnancy, but about STDs. There are things they can get, besides a baby, that will stay with them for life.

  • kierah

    Pregnancy is contagious. Young girls tend romanticize things. I think that pregnant teens should go to school with other pregnant teens. They’ll need the support of each other as well as specialized education in preparation for motherhood.

  • http://www.facebook.com/MsSkyHy Shauna Hyde

    I saw a group picture on Facebook that says it all. The girls were in the school bathroom mirror, all 7 teens in the pic were pregnant. Imagine big bellys in uniform. SMH. So yes they should be schooled separately for the “cute” factor, I agree. They need special classes as well. These girls should be placed in a teen mommy-to-be school were they can learn to handle their baby, finances, and receive group support from other teen moms. Possibly job training. Help them, don’t just talk about them. Children raising children need the most help.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/michelle.rodriguez.3572 Michelle Rodriguez

    No! You can’t force girls to disappear and brush the problem aside. Pregnancy is not contagious, quite the opposite, pregnant girls lose their friends, get dirty looks, and are looked as scum. I went to one of those “teen mommy” schools and I regret it so much. Pregnant teenagers should not be forced to take parenting classes any more than pregnant adults should. Those classes only wasted my time because I already knew the information. Those schools are not college bound. I understand if a girl has no choice to go there, but she should not be forced to. There isn’t a single mention of post-secondary education in those schools. They set me back so far, because when I returned to my regular high school I had to retake all of the classes that I took there because universities would not have acknoledged my credits. The curriculum there is pathetic, we were going over adding fractions and adjectives. If I would have stayed in my regular school I could have been in calculus by now.In fact, if I graduated from the alternative school I would have no chance of going to a four year college. I’m glad to be in my regular high school and if I was to have done it all over again I would have stayed with my pregnant belly and sued the school if they denied me the education that I deserve.

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