Teens' Pregnancy Pact Shocks Mass. Town

Authorities Say High School Girls Planned To Have Babies As Part Of Secret Pact

(CBS)  It's news that has people talking in the sleepy fishing village of Gloucester, Massachusetts, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller.

"I think it's awful," one woman says. "They're kids having kids."

Seventeen girls at Gloucester High School not only got pregnant, but according to some, it was no accident.

"Pregnancy was the desired outcome," school superintendent Christopher Farmer says.

"So they did it on purpose?" Miller asks.

"That's what it sounds like, yes," Farmer says.

School officials discovered the pregnancy pact after some girls seemed disappointed that their pregnancy tests from the school nurse came back negative.

"They will have a baby as part of their life to give them status," Farmer says. "motherhood gives them status."

Status in Gloucester is hard to come by. The once thriving fishing community has seen jobs drift overseas. Economic depression has left many teens trying to fill the void.

"It sort of gives you the impression of being an adult, an independent. It may give you an opportunity for unconditional love and attention from the baby and also that you give to the baby," Dr. Elisabeth Guthrie, a pediatric psychiatrist, says.



According to the superintendent, all the girls were 16 or younger. Most of the fathers weren't in high school and at least one of them was a 24-year-old man.

Amanda Ireland, mother of 3-year-old Haley, just graduated from Gloucester High. She says she's tried to warn her peers about the tough road ahead.

"Don't, don't try to get pregnant," she says. "People say, 'I know what it's like because I have siblings.' But you really don't. No one knows until they actually go through it. And it's a lot of work."

School officials have their work cut for them. They are now considering a plan to provide birth control services in the high school next fall.

Their biggest challenge is how to change the mindset in some of the girls who come here.

[gmond]

What exactly are they teaching in this school?

[dobbershome]

Don''t worry folks our welfare system will take care of these people.

[krannawitter]

Gloucester, Massachusetts here I come!!!

[shortybbc]

Gee I wonder who''s going to pay for these babies for the next 21 years then their kids and so on and so on

[pvperson]

Lock em in a room with ALL the kids and don''t let them out, EVER.

[cdfoxtrot]

Rednecks. Ya gotta love ''em.

[cgeller100]

They must be bored as hell to want to do this. Sounds to me like maybe school is boring them to death and life is boring them to death. We need to re-engineer society so that teens are not bored..hmm maybe higher expectations, more demands, more discipline...

[winslowe1]

The most shocking thing about this article is that anyone who realizes this is the 21st. century would be shocked by it.

[dobbershome]

shortybbc

I just told you.

[rsimpson69]

Good thing they weren''t in Texas, or their churches and families would all be arrested.

[bleem3]

Read the short story "The Marching Morons" if you want to get a peek at what life is going to be like in the USA as a result of all the so-called social programs to "help" the poor/disadvantaged/stupid. They breed like mink. Answer: Put birth control in Bud, cigarettes, fast food and meth and...END OF PROBLEM...LOL

[edintex]

We need to re-engineer society so that teens are not bored..hmm maybe higher expectations, more demands, more discipline...
Posted by cgeller100 at 08:47 PM : Jun 19, 2008

Don''t worry...the "re-engineering" has already started. In possibly two more generations from now, EVERYONE will be married g-a--y/lesbian athiests and nobody will be making babies here in the U.S. I guess on the positive side of that, the U.S. won''t be involved in wars anymore since we probably won''t have any youth to form an army. What a wonderful "change" to the present times and a "bright future" it will be for the libs...

[edintex]

POVERTY DESPAIR IGNORANCE...these are what lead to early undesirable pregnancies.
EDUCATION and AFFLUENCE will change American teens'''' birthrate.
Posted by kassandrasdu at 09:51 PM : Jun 19, 2008

You are right on the money! Really. It is true for all races. The core of most of the social problems is poverty and lack of education. After 8 years of democrats and 8 years or republicans, not much has improved. Until ALL Americans can come together, nothing will change.

[downsteamjim]

To kassandrasdu: You got your parties confused. It''s democrats who want to make sure that people don''t have to work, schools don''t have to teach math, English, & science but rather how to be proud of yourself and multicultural. The poor and the uneducated are the backbone of the DMC.

[dmhphils]

THAT''''s WHY ELECTING PROGRESSIVE LEADERS IS SO IMPORTANT!


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Posted by kassandrasdu at 09:49 PM : Jun 19, 2008

If by "progressive" you mean modern, I think you need to open your eyes. It has traditionally sprung up from the Republicans to maintain traditional family values, like families consist of a married father and mother, child-bearing is for the married, not for the children.

Redefining a "family" has corrupted the thinking of our young people. Now a family can be two mothers, two fathers,one mother, one father......although these are the unhappy characteristics of some people, it is not to be accepted as the norm.

[dmhphils]

POVERTY DESPAIR IGNORANCE...these are what lead to early undesirable pregnancies.
EDUCATION and AFFLUENCE will change American teens'''' birthrate.


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Posted by kassandrasdu at 09:51 PM : Jun 19, 2008

Since when is money he answer to the social woes of nations? Corrupted morals......lead to dravity. The young people are on the same road to depravity due to the corrupted morals of generations before them. It just keeps getting worse and worse.

[t21100]

I grew up in Glou and yes, it IS boring, especially in the winter but I, nor any of my friends at the time would have used pregnancy to get excitement. Why can''t they just drink like we used to.

[dmhphils]

EDUCATION and AFFLUENCE will change American teens'''' birthrate.


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Posted by kassandrasdu at 09:51 PM : Jun 19, 2008

You are telling me that the educated and affluent don''t have unexpected, unwanted, unplanned pregnancies? Again......reality says different.

This is a moral issue and money or education can''t change morals.

[clovisbuford]

"What a wonderful "change" to the present times and a "bright future" it will be for the libs... edintex" ed here in texas we have the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation , the largest number of uninsured children in the country and a republicann run government that has been in charge for years that inists on "just say no" abstinence based education for a number of years rather than realistic *** education with that being one componnent of it .. so how is that working out for ya ed? ed when that trans texas toll way(owned by aspanish comapny ) rolls thru your back yard you can thank guv good hair rick perry for that one as well. Go back to listening to crack (talk ) radio it will all be all right .

[dmhphils]

Amanda Ireland, mother of 3-year-old Haley, just graduated from Gloucester High. She says she''s tried to warn her peers about the tough road ahead.

Reality is sinking in, but too late. At least it is better than killing the baby in the womb after you realized your CHOICE was the wrong one. At least this girl is accountable enough to live with the circumstances she created, and learned from her mistakes. Bravo for you Amanda!

[clovisbuford]

"It''''s democrats who want to make sure that people don''''t have to work, schools don''''t have to teach math, English, & science " downsteamjim "yeah thats why republicans are pushing creationism as science in our schools as a viable alternative to science. It is worthy to be taught as theology . I would not have a problem with it being a fine arts classs along side comparative religons , the study of islam , christianity , bhuddism as an elective . The one thing it is not is science. As for the rest of your arguments , they amount to its all the liberals fault ,without any argument to support it other than "I say so" now that worked when we were all 4 , but yanno after 50 or so your BS detector goes off. If you are gonna argue a position have some facts , rather than "faith based" argument ,the faith being in that because you say it is so , it is .

[dmhphils]

School officials have their work cut for them. They are now considering a plan to provide birth control services in the high school next fall.

Their biggest challenge is how to change the mindset in some of the girls who come here.

The knee-jerk reaction of the school officials is disheartening. These girls weren''t looking for birthcontrol. They wanted to become pregnant! *** education should include accountability and responsibility. These girls entered into this thing like getting on a carnival ride......for the thrill of it, and will be shocked when reality sets in.

[bmrowe23]

Gee Clovis, this news article came out of Massachusetts, the left side of left. Apparently brilliant teens there aspire to a nice double wide too. I''ve been all over the country. There is trailer trash everywhere. Texas is notable only because any two counties are bigger than the whole state of Massachusetts.

A just say no policy is better than some fascist government telling me what to say. I agree that these girls are stupid. This their own fault and they will regret it forever.

[bmrowe23]

Gee Clovis, this news article came out of Massachusetts, the left side of left. Apparently brilliant teens there aspire to a nice double wide too. I''ve been all over the country. There is trailer trash everywhere. Texas is notable only because any two counties are bigger than the whole state of Massachusetts.

A just say no policy is better than some fascist government telling me what to say. I agree that these girls are stupid. This their own fault and they will regret it forever.

[clovisbuford]

The latest target of anti abortion foes is contraception, legal contraception for adults . To me that says a whole lot more about their agenda than anything eles . If you were truly trying to reduce abortions wouldn''t you support rational *** education , family planning , to reduce unwanted pregnancies ?Wouldnt you increase access to legal safe family planning methods, if your goal was to reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortion? Abortion protesters have family planning in their sights , they oppose contraception for married couples as well as *** education for teens ,.They oppose contraception for legal adults . So that begs the question , are they really about a culture of life and reducing abortion , or trying to control peoples sexuality?

[clovisbuford]

"A just say no policy is better than some fascist government telling me what to say. I agree that these girls are stupid."bmrowe23 its intersting that you equate *** education with a fascist government (information is the tool of fasscists) telling you what to say. Asforbeing in Mass. its a wide spread problem and happens in "red " states as well .H ere in texas "just say no" as the only program out there has not worked , sugar coat that however you want the facts and statisitcs tell the story . ..oh wait faith based acturial tables too?

[oneworldusa]

WHY is a school nurse administering pregnancy tests?

[anaside]

Birth control isn''t a factor here...they TRIED to get pregnant. They set out to get pregnant.

[oneworldusa]

All their welfare benefits should be automatically denied.

[oneworldusa]

These girls'' parents must be so proud. They''re going to be raising their grandchildren while they try to prepare for retirement.

[smurfcrusher]

"Economic depression has left many teens trying to fill the void."

Indeed! Quite effectively I would add.

[clovisbuford]

"Birth control isn''''t a factor here...they TRIED to get pregnant. They set out to get pregnant" anaside I totally agree, my comments were pushed by how it was being discussed in the comments. "dayumn liberals " and then ed in tex acting like it was better here , in a red state when if fact its not. It is more closely tied to peer pressure , where they have pacts to do whatever whether its shoplifing , havign *** ,not having *** , beating up hobos , etc.

[txgrouch2004]

I worked for a while as a public school teacher in a low-income community.

When a girl got pregnant in that school, she was TREATED LIKE ROYALTY. She had an excuse to get out of ANYTHING - including ALL SCHOOL WORK FOR THE ENTIRE SEMESTER. She could shout at her teachers and tell them to shut up.

She had an unlimited number of chances to take the SAME final exam over and over. And then when she failed EVERY TIME (her grade actually got WORSE with each attempt), the teacher was ORDERED to doctor her grades to give her a passing grade on her report card.

Why? Because, Oh she''s been through a tough time. SHE''S PREGNANT.

Never mind that she brought that condition ONTO HERSELF...

[txgrouch2004]

Oh, that''s not to say our system ENCOURAGES girls to get pregnant. Girls don''t decide to get pregnant BECAUSE OF THE ADVANTAGES THEY GET.

It''s just that OUR SYSTEM DOES NOTHING TO DISCOURAGE THEM. So they feel like, why not? She''s not going to get punished for it. So if she feels like getting pregnant, the system gives her little reason not to.

[scallywag8]

Us Baby Boomers my get Social Security yet.

[txgrouch2004]

If you think the behavior of juveniles is becoming outrageous, try sitting in a juvenile court in your community. I did recently.

You''ll hear about girls (yes MORE THAN ONE) who ADMIT to attacking and injuring law enforcement officers and school security guards who caught them doing something wrong (like shoplifting). Then they get sentenced to LESS THAN ONE YEAR PROBATION AND LESS THAN 100 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE. A mere slap on the wrist for ATTACKING AND INJURING A LAW OFFICER.

You''ll hear about the girls who bring their camera cell phones into the girls'' restroom at school and take pictures over the top of the stalls of other girls sitting on the toilet. Then her lawyer says "She didn''t know the girl would mind" and "She said she''s REALLY SORRY, so she shouldn''t be punished any more." And the judge postpones making a decision on that case. He wants to hear the results of a psychological evaluation of THE VICTIM.

[txgrouch2004]

scallywag8 dreamed
Us Baby Boomers my get Social Security yet.
-------------
Nice try. But do you REALLY think those babies will BECOME PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS contributing their share of pay withholdings?

Or will they become PARASITES ON SOCIETY like their mothers???

Chances are, YOU''LL BE COMPETING WITH THEM FOR BENEFITS while they demand welfare because of their UNDERPRIVILEGED, DISADVANTAGED CHILDHOOD.

[txgrouch2004]

Hey, tell Mom. This country is broken. We need a new one.

[oneworldusa]

These girls need to get jobs, pay the going rate for daycare, pay for diapers, clothes, etc. They also need to be handed the bill for their medical care and for the births of their children...

Once they can handle responsibilities like these, then maybe they are adult enough to be able to have children.

Maybe we need a rule that any child born to a mother under the age of 18 should be a ward of the state and placed for adoption. This excludes cases of rape, of course. But these girls purposely got pregnant.

There are plenty of loving adult, responsible couples who cannot have children of their own who would gladly take these babies and give them the love, attention and security they deserve.

[ozarkbard]

Stuck in a dying town with little or no hope for a job with a decent income? HAVE A BABY! It''s worked for welfare mothers for decades now. Why be responsible when you KNOW you are getting a free government check? (along with free healthcare, college tuition, etc.)

The vicious cycle just keeps turning and turning.

[aggiekat2004]

Education and affluence will change American teens'' birthrate?

Yeah, when Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and Jamie Lynn Spears think having a baby is like having a pet chihuahua that you can stick in your designer bag!

Perhaps if these kids were engaged in their families, they might not need to seek attention elsewhere.

[whatinthewld]

Happy hours for the boys and girls,.......no protection needed

I wonder where they learned this kind of behavior? Why is this community "shocked"? or does it just make a good headline?

[whatinthewld]

When Jamie Lynn Spears is the headline front page on the CNN webpage, who are the girls gonna want to follow...........Party time, boys!!

[morgansher]

Foolish young people. This is a tragic farce and the community where these girls grew up ought to be ashamed of how they raised each and every one of them -- from the parents and relatives to the schools, religious institutions and health care providers. They ought to be ashamed of raising girls with such fragile egos and so little personal esteem that all they can think is "A baby will bring my life completion and solve all my problems." Pheh!

How many of us think those kids could really "raise the kids together" over the next 21 years? My guess is that of 17 girls, perhaps 3 will have the character to be exceptional parents. Out of the remaining 14, 4 to 5 will prove to be the opposite and the rest will hover somewhere near average, but will find their actual dreams thwarted by the reality of having to provide for their ill-conceived daughters and sons.

Makes ya proud to be an American all over again, doesn''t it? Our citizens serve the greater good in such astonishing ways when they fail their children so spectacularly as the Glouster folks did. The cheering thought is that I''m likely to be deceased of old age by the time their babies are grown. I think I''ll be glad.

[aggiekat2004]

And I''ve written this in the forum before...but I went back to college at 35, and the kids in my program were literally jumping into bed with anyone to see if they were s*exually-compatible enough date!

I lived through the early years of the AIDS scare...I was a sophomore in college. We were terrified of unprotected s*ex. But these kids are RARELY using a condom...they think they''re invincible and nothing will happen to them. And hey, if it does, then they''ll just have the kid and the parents will raise it.

What parents need to be doing is saying NO. Let your kids know if they get pregnant, that YOU WILL NOT HELP RAISE THE CHILD, so they better think about it BEFORE THEY DO IT.

Abortion IS an option. If you''re kid is deciding to have a kid, then it is manipulative to expect the parents to raise it.

And think your kid''s not doing it? My 12-year-old niece just got in trouble for trading oral s*ex for a joint, and propositioning a 28-year-old neighbor. Don''t be naive.

[whatinthewld]

I think mom and dad (wherever he may be)and the school officials are probably examples in this field.......good examples? well, that''s pushing it.....examples that don''t know any better themselves? ....more likely.
Does educations and money have anything to do with it. No!! not in the sense that more money and work make for happier families. If we look at the divorce rate, money or no money doesn''t make any difference

[runningralph]

The attitude these girls have is prevalent in the welfare society. Babies are a meal ticket-"status symbol". Girls have the idea that if they have that taxpayer support, they won''t have to listen to adults. And they are correct. As long as taxpayers keep paying for it, it will keep happening. If someone is paying you to do it, why not do it? US taxpayers have been paying low class women to hatch out criminals for years. Our prison system is chock full as a result of liberal policies.

[aggiekat2004]

Oh yeah...and every person I know in their 40s-50s that has a kid that''s had a baby? The parents get roped in to only "helping," then when the kid realizes that it''s a lot of work, the baby gets dumped off on the parents so they can still go out with their friends and party all night.

[whatinthewld]

Abortion IS an option. If you''''re kid is deciding to have a kid, then it is manipulative to expect the parents to raise it.

And think your kid''''s not doing it? My 12-year-old niece just got in trouble for trading oral s*ex for a joint, and propositioning a 28-year-old neighbor. Don''''t be naive.
Posted by aggiekat2004 at

You have some good points about holding kids responsible for their actions and following through with it.
Yes, abortion is an option, but marriage is a much better option. Abortion is an option given to us as American citizens to kill our unborn child legally. But your child will have other consequences to deal with. Maybe she will be more accepted by you, but 5-10-20 years later she will be confiding in someone else about the guilt she has because she took that step. Of course she won''t tell you, because you told her it''s the way to go and she doesn''t want to make her mama sad, ....that''s why she agreed to an killing here child in the first place.
Oh, yes, ...definition for marriage......the officially recognized union of one man and one woman who commit to share their like together through good times and bad, sickness and health, until DEATH do us part. (not divorce)
And for those of you who have a hangup about religion,.....there''s nothing religious about this.

[l8c6]

We need more republicans to learn this country some moral values. Just say no to getting knocked up. These hussies aren''t victims of jobs going over seas. They need to pick themselves up by their bootstraps instead of their garter belts and get two or three jobs. That''ll keep them busy enough to not get knocked up. It is this liberal welfare society causing this. Republicans are the only people who pay taxes in this country. Liberals are a bunch of whiners on welfare. I''m sure glad we have a moral president whose daughter did it the right way recently and got herself a man and made it all legal.