Good Morning America Interviews Pregnant Gloucester Teen

Lindsey Oliver is 17 years old and five months pregnant. She is one of the soon-to-be teen moms from the Gloucester high school that made news headlines last week. Today, on Good Morning America (GMA) she denied that there was any teen pregnancy pact made. "No. There was definitely no pact," she said on GMA.

The principal, Dr. Joseph Sullivan told Time magazine that the increase in teen pregnancies at the school was linked to a pact made by a group of girls to get pregnant at the same time. Sullivan told Time Magazine earlier this month, "That bump was because of seven or eight sophomore girls. They made a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together." However, the GMA interview revealed that based on Lindsey's statement no pact ever existed. Not to mention that the principal may have experienced a bump on the head himself. Further probing regarding his comments to Time revealed a sketchy recollection of how he heard about the pact in the first place.

A social worker from Pathways for Children, which runs an on-site daycare center at the high school, reported hearing the girls' plan to get pregnant last fall. The organizations CEO Sue Todd also spoke with Time Magazine. She noted that the girls were identified as being at risk of becoming teen mothers since the sixth grade when they began inquiring about pregnancy tests. Todd stated, "What we've seen is the girls fit a certain profile. They're socially isolated, and they don't have the support of their families."

Despite what officials are saying Lindsey Oliver is standing behind her statement. It was only after the teens were pregnant did they discuss helping each other out so they could finish school. Oliver appeared on GMA with the father of her child, 20 year old Andrew Psalidas. The couple claimed they used birth control and did not plan on getting pregnant. Psalidas believes that the recent spike in pregnancies at Gloucester is just a coincidence. But, coincidence or not the fact remains that Gloucester isn't the only place where teen pregnancy rates are rising. According to the CDC, in 2007 teen pregnancy rates soared for the first time since 1991. Though the rise is notable the CDC says that more stats are needed to determine if this is the start of a new trend.

In April, health groups presented research to Congress showing that programs teaching abstinence has not curtailed the number of teen pregnancies or STDs. The abstinence-only method is limited in scope and neglects the fact that there are teens that are having sex. Without the proper measures in place, such as teaching contraceptive methods, this one-sided approach focusing on abstinence is having a harmful impact and negative consequences for those teens who are engaging in sex. Government programs backed by social conservatives promoting abstinence, maybe the best way to avoid pregnancy and STDs, but it is to narrowly focused. Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat put it best when he said, "We are showering funds on abstinence-only programs that don't appear to work, while ignoring proven comprehensive sex education programs that can delay sex, protect teens from disease, and result in fewer teen pregnancies."

So back in Gloucester 17 teen girls are soon-to-be expectant moms and the mayor Carolyn Kirk blames the rise in pregnancy on the lack of health education funding and the "glamorization of pregnancy" in the media mentioning Jamie Lynn Spears and the movie Juno. Blaming Juno for what is happening at Gloucester high school is not the solution. Movies like Juno reflect reality not the other way around. So, the sooner we stop pointing the finger and get down to putting realistic measures in place can we begin to tackle the issue of teen pregnancy. Jamie Lynn is a teen mom and Nickelodeon celebrity that set a bad example for her fans. But, I hardly think that she set a precedent for teens to go out and have unprotected sex.

It is time to get real about how we teach tweens and teens about sex. The lesson is a shared responsibility invested in a comprehensive strategy that incorporates why abstinence is important. But the approach shouldn't fall short of providing information for those teens who are having sex or may decided to have sex either.

Sources: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/16692720/detail.html, http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN23459576, http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1817272,00.html?imw=Y