Are School Officials to Blame for the Alleged Pregnancy Pact in Gloucester, Massachusetts?

Pregnancy pact or not, the undeniable fact is that 17 teen girls in one high school are pregnant. Whether or not there was a pact between the young mothers does not seem to me to be the major issue. How and why this situation was allowed to come about, must be investigated, so that it will not be repeated. Single parent families are detrimental to everyone, the mother, the absentee father, both sets of families, and most of all, the children.

The school the girls attended cannot be held responsible for the largest parcel of blame, but it may possibly accept a small portion. Also at fault are the girls themselves, their parents, the fathers of the children, and the society and culture which made this seem to be an attractive option to the young students.

The girls are old enough to know right from wrong. Even if they have been deprived of spiritual and ethical training, common sense should have made them realize that they were seriously penalizing their child by condemning it to life in a single-parent family. A local psychologist speculated that the young mothers were searching for unconditional love. Where were their parents, grandparents, and other family members who should have been supplying an adequate amount of love and security?

Gloucester is a fishing town with a population of about 30,000. Recently, the fishing trade has been in sharp decline. Men who have fished the Atlantic coastal waters for generations can no longer earn a living. Families are under great stress and some of them have broken up. The children of these families no longer have a definite life plan. They are at sea with an uncertain future, probably at a time when their families are too unsettled to provide proper support.

Some of the fathers of these babies may face charges of statutory rape. The age of consent in Massachusetts is 16. Many of the pregnant girls are younger. A homeless person, 24, has acknowledged paternity in at least one case. These boys and young men face prison terms in many cases, and they will be responsible for support payments until their child has completed its schooling. This will be difficult penalty, because some of the expectant fathers are still in school themselves.

The families of both young parents will suffer. The paternal grandparents may never have a chance to know and enjoy their grandchild, although they may be asked to help with support payments until their son has finished his own education. The maternal grandparents will probably spend much of their retirement helping to raise their grandchild, since its mother may be too immature to take full responsibility for its welfare.

The child will grow up in an incomplete family, probably in poverty, lacking the security and advantages which every child deserves. He or she is the innocent victim of the irresponsible decision these young mothers have made.

Even you and I, as part of contemporary society, must share the blame. How often have we stood by silently, as couples move in together, even start a family, within a formal marriage ceremony? Jamie Lynn Spears, Brittney's unmarried younger sister, just had a baby daughter and is treated as a minor celebrity.
We flocked to see the movies "Juno", and "Knocked Up", which glorified young girls who became pregnant. Is it any wonder these Massachusetts teens see little disgrace in single parenthood?

Should the school officials assume any blame? Perhaps they could have offered more effective Ethics and Family Life Courses. If there had been Religion courses offered throughout the school program from Grade One on, it might have made a difference, but that, of course, is against the law. The school's role in the rash of pregnancies seems negligible.

While most of us agree that single-parent families are an undesirable phenomenon, we stand by and do nothing to discourage situations which may lead to them. When a friend moves in with his or her latest partner, we say nothing lest we offend them. When the rosy glow of fresh love fades, and it will, any children of the liasion will probably face a second-class childhood in a single-parent family.

How many of us saw the movies mentioned above, and then reported to others how enjoyable they were? As a society, we are very hypocritical; we speak in favor of one set of values, but our actions and preferences indicate something entirely different.

When incidents like the Gloucester pregnancies occur, everyone looks around trying to place the blame. We target the girls, their partners, their parents, their families, economic factors, even their school. Often we forget to do one thing, run to the mirror, and face our own image. As part of society, as part of the secular North American culture, we ourselves are a large part of the problem.