A 'new kind of family,' such as the one portrayed in 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager' on ABC Family, gives lie to the consequences of teenage pregnancy. ABC FAMILY/CRAIG SJODIN Visit the Photo Place

Does teen pregnancy work as a TV series?

Date published: 7/13/2008

PHILADELPHIA

Nothing quite says "a new kind of family"--the network's slogan--like a 15-year-old's unplanned pregnancy.

It's only a matter of time before some artist makes "Large Times at Gloucester High."

Apparently, pregnancy provides a better plot device than abortion, especially since the procedure has become one of culture's dirty words. In "Knocked Up," one pothead slacker is so uncomfortable he calls it "schmabortion," putting a lie to Hollywood's leftist tendencies.

Teen pregnancy is on the rise for the first time after a 14-year downturn. In real life, misguided teens think pregnancy is a wondrous adventure--that is, until they have to care for a baby on a daily basis.

"A teenage pregnancy immediately turns the odds against mother and baby," says Dayle Steinberg, president of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Teens believe they're superheroes when it comes to birth control and health care. Young expectant mothers, the poor ones not depicted in "Juno" or on ABC Family, are more likely to risk unhealthy behavior (smoking, drinking) and less likely to receive prenatal care, putting mother and child at risk.

A baby proves a powerful hindrance to schooling, while tethering young mothers to government services and financial dependency.

Education, not family income or background, is the great indicator of economic success. If those 17 knocked-up girls of Gloucester, Mass., made a "pregnancy pact," they also made an agreement that stagnates education, obstructs future career choices, and clogs income.

"Hollywood entertains and Planned Parenthood prevents," Steinberg says. "Responsible behaviors aren't promoted enough."

Studies show teenagers aren't receiving adequate information at home or in the classroom about sex and reproductive health. Abstinence-only sex education, granted substantial federal funding in recent years, teaches the fallibility of contraception and inaccurate information about abortion, according to a congressional investigation.

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Date published: 7/13/2008