Accept Pregnant Teens | Teen Ink

Accept Pregnant Teens

June 8, 2011
By Autumn-Rain SILVER, West Lafayette, Indiana
Autumn-Rain SILVER, West Lafayette, Indiana
9 articles 1 photo 74 comments

Nearly 2,800 teens get pregnant each day (Soundvision). We can’t ignore these people around us any longer. These girls face many hardships in their lives. Many of their friends leave them, and most of the people at school make cruel jokes at their expense. One teen girl said “Ever since I got pregnant my friends seemed to just disappear.” Another said, “All my friends left me, except maybe three of them” (Baby-gaga). So why do we ostracize them? Pregnant teens need acceptance, not the discrimination we give them.

Just like everybody else, pregnant girls need friends. When we are stressed or worried, we all enjoy having a good friend to lean on. Can you imagine the stress of being pregnant? But can you also imagine going through that without any friends? Pregnant teens face much discrimination from other teens in school. Many people are very judgmental of them. But these pregnant teens are just like any one of us. They like to see the latest movies, shop for new fashions and discuss the hot boys in school. So why do we exclude them as though they are different than the rest of us?

Even though it’s important for you to be there for them, pregnant girls can be good friends too. We all like to have a good friend. Someone to joke with, spend your time with, and someone to comfort you when you’re down. Think back to a time when you were choosing your friends. How many times did you actually take a second glance at those “loser pregnant chicks” on the side lines? We put on our blinders as we walk through the halls, looking only for those who fit our criteria. But what exactly is our criteria? Many people want strong friends who can stick up for themselves. Have you ever thought about how much strength it requires for these teens to take the prejudice shown to them? After living under constant stigma and being rejected by their friends, these pregnant girls are the ones with real strength. They have what it takes to be a good friend. Sure they’ve made mistakes, but they, like all of us, have learned from them.

Maybe you’re thinking “Yeah, that’s great and all, but it will ruin my reputation to even talk to them!” Back up a little, and try thinking about it. Most of us, at one time or another, have had a best friend. You were willing to do almost anything for that friend regardless of what it did to your reputation. You were willing to stand up for them if someone was giving them a hard time. You knew that that person who you stood up to could easily ruin your reputation, but you did it anyway. So what makes these girls any different than that “best friend” of yours? Sure, you may not know them as well, but they could become that friend if you gave them a chance. And just like your other friends, many of these girls are well worth giving up some of your reputation for.

Pregnant teens are just like each one of us. They need friends, not prejudice and bullying. So how about next time you see a pregnant girl at your school, go up and say, “hi.” Ask them how their day has been, or see if they want to sit with you at lunch. It’s time to stop the way we are treating these girls. They are human beings, and they deserve to be treated that way.





Bibliography
Soundvision. Homepage. Web. May 10, 2011
<www.soundvision.com/Info/teens/stat.asp>
Baby-gaga. Web. May 15, 2011

<http://www.baby-gaga.com/about.php>


The author's comments:
I'd been reading a book about a pregnant teen... and it made me realize just how much discrmination these girls face.

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This article has 6 comments.


on Sep. 5 2011 at 8:01 pm
AlwaysAntlers SILVER, Kingsport, Tennessee
5 articles 0 photos 72 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Don&#039;t forget - no one else sees the world the way you do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell.&rdquo;<br /> ― Charles de Lint, (from his book,The Blue Girl)

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYY!! Good job.

on Aug. 7 2011 at 9:37 pm
Autumn-Rain SILVER, West Lafayette, Indiana
9 articles 1 photo 74 comments

I kind of agree with you... but a lot of the pregnant teens you see around today are sorry that they ever made such a bad choice. I'm not saying everyone is like that... 'cause everyone is different... but you won't ever know if you just judge them and never get to know them... So that's kinda my opinion...

thanks for the feedback!

 


on Jul. 20 2011 at 2:15 am
WishfulDoer GOLD, Portland, Oregon
14 articles 0 photos 69 comments

Favorite Quote:
If ignorance is bliss, why is our country so complicated?

I really like this article. I agree with everything you're saying, and i think it took some guts to say what you feel. 5 by 5.

on Jul. 19 2011 at 3:50 am
Autumn-Rain SILVER, West Lafayette, Indiana
9 articles 1 photo 74 comments

Okay... my page with my work on it says that there are two comments on this page... but when I come to the page it says that there aren't any... could someone tell me if there actually are? Sorry, kinda technically impaired :)

 


julian GOLD said...
on Jul. 18 2011 at 2:11 pm
julian GOLD, Eugene, Oregon
17 articles 17 photos 223 comments

Favorite Quote:
The goal is not about living forever, the goal is about creating something that can.

Beautifully done. I completely agree with you on this piece. Just because you're a PREGNANT teen, doesn't mean you're not a teen anymore! And all teens need friends! Great work. Keep it up!

on Jul. 11 2011 at 1:28 pm
Well, I understand where you're coming from, but I think that pregnant teens bring the attention into their lives themselves. It IS their fault that they're pregnant, isn't it? I totally agree with you when you say that everyone deserves a friend and that leaving others because of a mistake that they made is wrong, but I think that people sometimes have to look at pregnant teens as an example of what not to do. People should not be abusive or openly mean to them, but all of this could be avoided if the teen had thought a bit about their actions and not gotten pregnant in the first place. Pregnancy can ruin a person's life, so they should be a bit more responsible in reguard to their actions. The teens kind of brought the discrimination onto themselves by not being responsible. Your writing is awesome, though! I like how you support your POV with facts-keep writing! :)