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June 22nd, 2008 Whoever said "Sex Sells" is absolutely right! It sells diapers. Clothes. Food. Toys. Booster seats. Minivans. That's right people. Sex makes babies! But it doesn't stop there. Babies grow up to become toddlers, "tweens" (rolls eyes), teenagers, and eventually, adults. Consumers. Debt carriers. And, of course, procreators. Here's the story: 17 girls in Gloucester, MA celebrated positive pregnancy tests from the high school health clinic with high fives. The girls are all 16 or younger, nearly all of them sophomores. The superintendent said they have been reluctant to identify the fathers, many of whom are older. But one father "is a 24-year-old homeless guy," the principal was quoted as telling Time Magazine. A typical girl, you would think, would say, 'Oh my God! What am I going to do now? How am I going to support this baby? How am I going to finish school?' " Superintendent Christopher Farmer said. "These young women clearly have not seen that." Sarah Brown, chief executive of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, suggested some of the blame lies with the nation's Hollywood-obsessed culture, in which stories about pregnant celebrities abound. June 19, TV star Jamie Lynn Spears, 17, the unmarried sister of Britney Spears, gave birth. "Juno," a wry comedy about a 16-year-old girl who gets pregnant but chooses to give the baby up for adoption, was one of the most acclaimed movies of the year. "Baby bumps get written about the same way designer handbags do. It's just one more lifestyle choice, just another personal expression: these shoes, this bump and that handbag," Brown said. "It's not surprising that teenage girls can get confused or even seduced by the allure of celebrity pregnancy." Gloucester has long been supportive of teen mothers. The high school has a day-care center for students and employees. The clinic does not distribute contraceptives, and Gloucester High School's health curriculum has been cut for budget reasons, meaning there is no sex education. Student Council member Emily Spreer said many of the girls came from difficult circumstances: "Their circle or clique, they're not the most fortunate family-wise." Gloucester has long been supportive of teen mothers. The high school has a day-care center for students and employees. Meanwhile, in addition to the 17 girls known to be pregnant, others continue to arrive at the clinic asking for pregnancy tests. -From the Associated Press. 6/21/08. Are the girls planning on raising their children together in a huge compound like some sort of cult, taking different shifts on a rotation of watching the kids while some of the other girls go to work? You know this nation is screwed up when adults are aborting unexpected pregnancies and teens are planning pregnancies...group pregnancies. Look for a rant on abortion coming soon. But for now... The age of consent in Massachusetts is 16 for females and 18 for males. Since many of the girls are 16, there's not much you could do legally about that. But all the girls are 16 and under. Wanna know how age of consent works? Look it up. Bottom line: you can't legally have sex if you're under this age, which is determined by the state. You're a minor. Age of consent laws are there to stop young people from being exploited by adults. These laws let kids be kids and leave sex to the adults. And, yes, people get prosecuted if one or both sexual participants are under age. I wonder how many of their parents are going to own up to knowing that their kids were having sex. Hmmm...maybe that's why they've been silent so far. Since this story broke, we've seen plenty of experts', officials', and the pregnant girls' points of view on this issue. But I ask, where are the parents? Why aren't state officials gunning for them? They're legally responsible for the minors in question here. And above all, what about the fathers of these 17 or more buns in the oven? Do they want any involvement in raising their kids or were they in it just for the sex? What about their parents? What have any of these parents taught their horny, naive, and misinformed kids about sex? I swear, there aughta be a mandatory test like the SAT, ACT, or driver's ed. Do people (kids and adults) actually know what sex is for? It's reproduction, not recreation. It's a tool, not a toy. It's easy to blame Hollywood for the images they portray. Yes, teens take a lot of cues from their "heroes" but where are the parents? Why are they not the heroes? Perhaps they're out living the lives that Hollywood portrays: a divorced mom hooking up with her "f--- buddy", as they seem to be called now, while her child has her boyfriend over to act just like Mom. Hmmm. Maybe parents are the heroes. I also partially blame the Gloucester school system in this case because they continue to waste their money on a day care center in the school but ditched their health program. How about teaching Sex Ed and all that goes along with it, including abstinence, and not endorse its outcome by providing a day care center. Sure, in this case, if kids have babies, they can stay in school. But it's not the school's responsibility to carry the burden of a child's mistake. And, yes, I've seen people drop out of school because they got pregnant and had a kid. They no longer went to public school because of the time commitment required in raising a child. They instead enrolled in "community education" and got a GED. If a public school didn't provide the luxury of day care, the kids might be less inclined to get pregnant. This also raises the issue of contraception given out in school with or without parents’ permission or knowledge. "Don't ask, don't tell" takes on a whole new meaning here. People put way too much trust in condoms. And birth control pills can alter a still developing girl's body to an abnormal and unhealthy degree. A child is under the guardianship of his or her parents and those parents must take legal responsibility for that child. When anyone gives contraception of any kind to a minor and bypasses the parents, that person is contributing to minor delinquency. Especially if the child is under the age of consent. And if the parents are aware or involved, it could be considered child abuse. Where is the parental responsibility raising a child? Will they just continue to dump the kid off at day care and, as they grow older, throw money at 'em to stay out of the parents’ face? The pregnant teen's parents will wind up raising their own grandkid. Or, at least, their money will. Will that kid crank out a kid in his or her teens? It's a vicious cyle. If someone is irresponsible enough to let their child freely fornicate, that child will be just as irresponsible. Kids aren't delinquent on their own. Parents helped make 'em that way by negelecting them and allowing others to rub off on them or by negatively influencing their own kids themselves. Parents: Don't be afraid of your kids. Keep track of them. Invade their lives. Take stuff away when they don't do what you tell them. It's your job. Your kids are supposed to hate you for it now. They'll love you for it later. Or maybe you don't care enough about your kids to teach them to make smart decisions because maybe you made some stupid ones and don't want to admit to yourself that you were wrong. You should want them to have a better life than you. Don't forget to reward them when they do what's right. Girls: When you get pregnant, it's not about you anymore. Your life is about your child now. That kid will depend on you for survival. You'll have a lot of responsibility. Think about your future and enjoy your life before you share it with a guy and together decide to create someone who will inherit your fortune and carry on your respectable legacy. And you have an allure that the guys have a hard time avoiding. In fact, most guys will try to get a piece of that any way they can. But the image that you and everybody else sees pumped out of Hollywood of what a woman should be, well, it isn't really an accurate portrayal. Be respected. Not coveted. Guys: You have a powerful weapon down there. Keep the safety on. There's a lot of talk and no substance in the locker room. Don't be afraid to be the guy who's not having sex...because chances are that the guys who say they are...are full of it. Ever wonder why it's "cool" to be having sex with a hot chick, but if she gets pregnant then he's a moron for life? Don't be that guy. It's not worth it. Be the guy who's proud to not have sex. Have a little dignity and don't let sex, or the obsession with it, preoccupy your mind and actions. You have lots of other stuff in life to focus on too. Just learn to respect women...not treat 'em like a prize. That goes for any guy, not just teens. Too much focus is put on what to do when pregnancy strikes and not enough on how to prevent the dangerous actions that lead to it. Humans are humping like rabbits. Reproduction is through the roof. We're overpopulated and it's getting worse. We have no self control and want to take no reponsibility. It's sad...and frightening. Yet, why do we value offspring like we do? Most people have a prideful desire to crank out at least one kid because that's just what people do in their twenties and thirties...and, now, in their teens. Why do we treat it like an exclusive club that all our friends are joining so why don't we? Really, why do people want to make more people? Maybe they don't. Maybe more people are accidental than we might want to admit. Maybe more people have a moral sense of respect for life than we give ourselves credit for. Though everyone has the freedom and right to reproduce, many people probably shouldn't reproduce. A marriage license used to unofficially work as sort of a license to breed. Life-long commitment to a spouse first, offspring second. "Security" first, then "joyful burden." Not anymore. Nowadays, people don't even aspire to get married...except homosexuals because they've been denied it. But that's another rant. And I am in no way advocating abortion. That's yet another rant. I'm speaking prevention. Maybe we need to initiate a breeder's license like a driver's license. Or..."Help control the human population. Have yourself, your spouse...or your kids...spayed or neutered." Bottom line: Sex has been glorified to unreasonable proportions and few of us seem to want to attempt to tame our sexual urges. We’ve become far too accepting of this careless, deviant, and dangerous behavior...and that is intolerable. |