Pregnancy Pact - preventable?

Teen pregnancy is such a complicated issue. Many would say, lecture and teach teens about the cons of pregnancy at a young age.  Others would say give out contraceptives or just plain ignore the subject. These answers may work in some situations but what happens when teens are purposely trying to get pregnant due to peer pressure? How would you prevent something like the epidemic that occurred in June 2008 at a Massachusetts high school?  The girls never publicly came out to admit there was a pregnancy pact but the evidence was there.

“The Pregnancy Pact” is a movie that aired today on Lifetime about sophomore high school girls from Massachusetts that made a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Most of the reasonings that were stated of why they wanted to get pregnant, showed their immaturity.  Many would expect the worst from children coming from families that were either not involved in their lives, abused, had alcoholic parents or were also teenage mothers.  It is not always the obvious that end up in teenage pregnancy.

One of the mother’s in the movie they did focus on was a well education married woman that was an advocate for abstinence.  A few topics the mom left out was the talk about sex, love, relationship, etc. Its so easy to say “DON’T DO IT,” rather than educate teens on why not. Her daughter was one of the girls who got pregnant on purpose.  The mother and father wanted to point the finger elsewhere other than believing their daughter was capable of being part of the pact.  After the mother found out that her daughter was involved in the pact her perspective on the issue somewhat broadened.

I honestly don’t think anyone has the answer to prevent all teen pregnancies. Although, I do believe parents really are the best teachers for their children and need to speak up while its still early, rather than when it’s too late. Keeping an open communication line from an early age is important and has been and will continue be a part of my parenting. Kids ask “why” for a reason, to learn. Keeping them in the dark is not helping them but keeping them ignorant to the reality that exist.