Online only: Ending denial about youth pregnancy

I recently observed a scene that caught me off guard.

My cashier, a young woman in her early twenties, was busy bagging my purchases when one of her co-workers (who looked like she was about the same age) came over to her. In a hushed voice and with a face that showed a mix of uncertainty, fear and excitement, the other worker whispered, “I’m pregnant.”

I was stunned.

Not stunned in a “what-a-horrible-person” type of way, but rather wallowing in the realization that I had just witnessed a woman whose life had been changed forever.

Youth pregnancy has always gotten a lot of press, but shows like “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” have recently cast the spotlight especially heavily on the issue. MTV has shown stories of young mothers facing the harsh reality that raising a child is hard work, especially at an age when most people are just worrying about getting their drivers’ licenses and making the JV team.

But even these shows send the subtle signal that having a baby is the way to stardom.

We’re a nation in a denial. The United States has by far the highest pregnancy rate of any developed country in the world, yet we still cling to cultural practices that are clearly not working to lower this level. We have an odd assortment of various versions of health education, legalized abortion and a stigma of all things sexual.

We cherish our rights of freedom and liberty, but in this case, frown upon the results.

It would be foolish to say that all pregnancies outside of marriage and among teenagers are “bad.” I have a close friend whose parents gave birth to their first child when they were in high school and now have successful careers and a stable, loving family.

However, we know that cases like this are the exception rather than the norm.

When it comes down to it, no amount of scolding, education and other methods can prevent all unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. However, we need to throw aside our current system of mixed messages and accept the fact that we are failing in our duty to provide even basic sexual knowledge to young people in our country.

Many Americans are up in arms about the prospect of China knocking us out of our top spot as the world’s dominant superpower. It’s worth mentioning that their pregnancy rate is more than 10 times lower than ours.


E-mail: biglehar@indiana.edu