Pregnancy Club in Mass.

[The Real Picard]

OMG 17 high school girls all pregnant at the same time per the pact that they made! I wonder who the lucky fella was? Just imagine the child support he'll be paying!!!

[Samapico]

I heard quickly about this... They said that one of the fathers was some 24-years-old homeless dude or something; I might have heard wrong though, would be nice if you could find an article to link to

[GameTime]

I heard quickly about this... They said that one of the fathers was some 24-years-old homeless dude or something; I might have heard wrong though, would be nice if you could find an article to link to

 

You are correct. See end of first paragraph.

 

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8...ewsletter-daily

[»Ducky]

Best story to hit the airwaves in awhile IMO.

Caught Anderson Cooper earlier tonight and he was talking to a psychologist about how and why this could happen.

Near the end of her analysis, he proposed the question whether or not school offering support for teenage mothers (they offer daycare service) was justifiable.

On one hand, she said that schools should attempt to get these women diplomas to ease the suffering of career opportunity later in life but on the other hand; helpful services would not be a deterrent in future cases because teenage women would see the act of child bearing as a no consequence issue.

 

That statement, although understandable is my pick for the stupidest thing said in media this week.

Having a child should have no consequences at all in any situation if it can be helped and regardless of whether these women had an official pact at all shouldn't influence that.

 

Is it true that children come at wrong times? Yes. There is no reason to punish people who make poor decisions in this manner by not giving some type of support if the district has the ability to.

 

Best part of the entire ordeal? The school has a state granted funding problem and decided to cut available contraception with-in the school but they are entirely able to have a valid daycare program for its typical 4 students on average that become pregnant per year.

[Hakaku]

At first I thought this was in my own city, since there's also a high school called Gloucester High, but then realized it was in the States. kinda crazy

[Drake7707]

Since when is is pregnancy a hype ? I didn't think there were still people moronic enough to be influenced by media and obviously-not-real-tv-shows. That's the kind of thing you'd expect from a 12 year old, not 16-18. It's probably that 1 or 2 wanted to go through with it and the rest couldn't refuse because of group pressure (I can't help but thinking 'serves you right' when they start complaining)

 

Also a homeless guy is not a good gene pool for their babies, maybe they should pay more attention in biology how mitosis & meiosis works (heh not 'should have paid' because they probably still have it xD). If that's still educated in the us...

[Aileron]

pfft...

 

 

I don't like how this event becomes a push to offer birth control pills to students. Obviously, whoever is proposing this decided what the answer is long ago and twist any event around to justify their rationalization. Such a program will have no effect on girls who want to get pregnant.

 

The bright side is that if a solution to this situation comes up, a solution to the broader problem will be found.

 

 

I will point out that a 17 year old getting pregnant is not that terrible. It shoots down the chances of the girl going to college, but she could probably support the child. Ofcourse, it would help if the father wasn't some bum she found off the street.

 

The major problem is that you can't take the stupid out of the teenager. In ages past, it was solved with a 'respect your elders' mentality, where the young would pay attention to the advice of those more experienced than themselves. I guess the other problem is that we've created a culture of teenage rebellion, where every generation absolutely cannot respect those older than them and who've been around the block a time or two. If parents say 'don't jump off the bridge', teenagers feel they have to just for the sake of rebelling against authority.

 

!@#$%^&*, I must be getting old...

[Drake7707]

I think it's because the lack of authority that the parents have, I mean you can't even hit or slap them anymore when they've done something wrong (well the more extremely never do it again wrong) without risking child abuse knocking on your door.

Also divorces are on the rise, so they don't take their family seriously anymore.

 

The problem with pregnancy is that you have to be responsible for it for a long time, compared to smoking or doing drugs. Once they stop using/doing that they don't have to be responsible for anything afterwards.

 

Oh well, it makes up for those that did the suicide pact in the UK i guess

[Dav]

they were just plain stupid.

 

If they are of consensual age fine (16 in the UK), but these people are too stupid to use protection, then have to leech of the welfare state with a kid they probably won't look after properly.

 

somehow people need to find a way to get the idea of contraception into these people heads.

[Aceflyer]

It seems that these girls weren't too stupid to use contraception; rather, they wanted and planned to get pregnant. It wasn't a matter of being too stupid to use proper contraception.

[Bak]

I will point out that a 17 year old getting pregnant is not that terrible.

All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students' date=' [b']none older than 16[/b]' date=' confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together.[/quote']

 

The article also says it's a Catholic enclave, which means their parents probably discourage any form of birth control according to Catholic tradition.

Aids is bad but condoms are worse.

 

These girls obviously wanted to stay in touch after high school in figured if their kids were all the same age they'd remain friends forever because their kids would play with one another. If only someone would have shown them facebook!

[»Ducky]

Dav, you can't make that judgment anymore than I can say they'll be great mothers.

What they do have over other teenage mothers is the desire to be a parent.

 

Sometimes, just the desire is good enough to raise even the most half !@#$%^&* kid.

[Drake7707]

You can compare it with a pet. They absolutely want a pet, must have that pet and need that pet. But will they still take care of it after they get annoyed/bored of it ?

[Dav]

Dav, you can't make that judgment anymore than I can say they'll be great mothers.

What they do have over other teenage mothers is the desire to be a parent.

 

Sometimes, just the desire is good enough to raise even the most half !@#$%^&* kid.

 

Very true, I am guilty of taking the media at face value with that comment. Nevertheless it is not an uncommon scenario.

[Hoch]

See what happens when small-town Americans get bored.

 

Oy vey.

 

-Hoch

[GameTime]

See what happens when small-town Americans get bored.

 

Oy vey.

 

-Hoch

 

 

It's called stupidity.

[Dav]

indeed, how they could think it was a good idea is a mystery.

[Hoch]

I understand that the area where these kids live is eco-

nomically depressed. With too few jobs and people down

on their luck, perhaps these kids did think it was a good

idea because either their parents or the state could help

support them.

 

Although motherhood should not be viewed as a job in the

normal sense of the word, when you have nothing else go-

ing for you it does not look like the worst idea. Not that this

type of behaviour should be condoned.

 

I certainly would dismiss media reports that films such as

Juno or Knocked Up inspired these kids. Anyone that has

seen either these films can see the error in their logic.

 

-Hoch

[GameTime]

I understand that the area where these kids live is eco-

nomically depressed. With too few jobs and people down

on their luck, perhaps these kids did think it was a good

idea because either their parents or the state could help

support them.

 

Although motherhood should not be viewed as a job in the

normal sense of the word, when you have nothing else go-

ing for you it does not look like the worst idea. Not that this

type of behaviour should be condoned.

 

I certainly would dismiss media reports that films such as

Juno or Knocked Up inspired these kids. Anyone that has

seen either these films can see the error in their logic.

 

-Hoch

 

Economically depressed and nothing going for you...having a kid is the worst idea.

[Hoch]

Of course it is the worst idea, and I doubt you will find

anyone that disagrees. But under the cir!@#$%^&*stances

it may look like a good option to make matters better.

Especially if a network of mothers is created. Much like

a support group, which is the case here.

 

-Hoch

[FMBI]

Hoch, that might be the way it works in Europe, but that isn't the way it works here. They'd have to be completely nuts to found a "support group" based on pregnancy. Anyone who considered doing that for 5 minutes, let alone the length of time it takes to get pregnant and then get discovered, would see how stupid it is.

 

So -

 

Single woman in Europe having child for aid - Possible

Multiple women in America having children for support group / aid - No way

[Hoch]

Good lord. I have never seen such selective reading in all

my life, and I'm a bloody criminal barrister!

 

State welfare exists irrespective of location...

 

You are dealing with children. Children living in a deprived

area of the country. They are not going to make rational

decisions, and clearly they have not.

 

The underlining reasons giving rise to these events need to

be explored. Only then will people be able to prevent another

'pregnancy outbreak'. These kids need help.

 

-Hoch

[GameTime]

They were all just ASSS.