 "I Never Thought It Would Be Like This": Teenagers Speak Out About Being Pregnant/Being Parents • Introduction The teen years are marked by a whirlwind of growth—physical, emotional and sexual. While teenagers are maturing physically and becoming biologically (or physiologically) capable of having a child, their emotional and sexual feelings are often in turmoil. Most begin to develop emotional relationships with the opposite sex, and many begin to experiment in sexual activity. For an alarmingly high proportion of these sexually active teenagers, the experimentation leads to unplanned pregnancy. Of these girls—and the same number of boys who help conceive the pregnancy—many suffer the repercussions of irresponsible sex for years. It is unfortunate that a lack of adequate information and understanding are partially at fault. The four sections of this program work from the premise that the student must be made aware of the biological facts of sexuality, and the possible consequences of irresponsible sexual activity. Information is given in a non-judgmental, straightforward way. Whatever the individual decision concerning sexual activity, this program is designed to stimulate a responsible, thoughtful choice. • Program Objectives This program is designed to: • Present statistical facts in a social, cultural and personal context in order to establish teenage pregnancy as a major problem; • Identify physical, emotional and social consequences of unwanted teenage pregnancies; • Reveal and analyze the underlying causes of teen pregnancies • Describe in detail the biological processes of fertilization, pregnancy and birth; • Enumerate contraceptive methods and explain their relative effectiveness and level of safety; • Emphasize ways to avoid teenage pregnancy and, if it does occur, identify means of coping with it responsibly and effectively. • Summary of Content Three Personal Stories The program opens with interviews with three teenage girls. Two have had babies, and the third is in an advanced state of pregnancy. Sylvia is a homeless teenager who bore a son at the age of sixteen. She had lived with the baby’s father for three years and had expected help from him, bunt none was forthcoming. She has been fortunate to receive some emotional support from Peggy, a volunteer “big sister,” but she has few other resources at her disposal. The next girl we meet had a brief sexual encounter and became pregnant. She planned to keep her baby, but after a few months the financial and emotional drains were too great, so she gave him up for adoption. The third interview is with a young woman who is about to have a baby, which she plans to keep. She feels guilty and upset about the burden she will be placing on her parents, but thinks she will be able to handle the situation. We will meet her again later in the program. A narrator asks viewers to think about what they might have done—or avoided doing—in similar circumstances. Facing the Consequences The narrator states that every year two or three million pregnant teenage girls and their partners are confronted with the consequences of their sexual activity. Perhaps they should have said “no,” or used effective contraceptives, but now it’s too late. Now they need help—from parents, doctors, a counselor—to decide what to do next, and how to go about it. Three choices are open, each with potentially overwhelming emotional, financial or physical problems: having an abortion; keeping the baby (with or without getting married); and putting the baby up for adoption. The program gives detailed suggestions for places to go for help, including birth control information centers, teen hotlines, health clinics, clergy, marriage and family counselors, abortion clinics, social and religious organizations, state and municipal departments of child welfare, and Planned Parenthood. Getting help is important. Eight-five percent of high school girls who have babies never finish school. Lack of education often leads to poor job opportunities and poverty. Teen fathers find their lives changed as well. The young man interviewed in this part did not intend to acknowledge his baby but because of his legal, financial, and emotional responsibilities he changed his mind. But, he says, “I don’t see a future in this.” The narrator concludes this part by reminding the viewer that teen pregnancy is a problem that must be confronted directly—because it refuses to be ignored. • The Biological Process As this segment begins, we rejoin the girl who was pregnant during her earlier interview. She has an infant girl now, and describes the painful process of labor and delivery, and the responsibility she has taken on. She says, “It’s hard to be a teenage mother, very hard.” The narrator then introduces the basic facts of human sexuality. Pregnancy is discussed first as the direct result of sexual activity, and then as part of a complex biological process. The process is spelled out in detail through menstruation, sexual intercourse, fertilization and pregnancy to labor and birth. The new mother returns with the following: “My advice to other girls who think that this is the best thing, or that it’s fun is: it’s wrong. It’s not fun. It’s a big responsibility. It’s missing out on things that you used to do and I don’t advise anyone to go out and have a baby right now.” The narrator ends this part by pointing out that birth is the end of pregnancy and the beginning of a new life. It should be a beautiful journey into mother hood. But for teenage mother and father, it means bringing a new life into the world, one that can profoundly change their own lives—and one that will demand of them decisions and responsibilities they may not be willing, or able, to take one. • One Point Three Million Babies a Year Five teenagers tell us how careful they have been to avoid pregnancy: 1. I only went “all the way” once with my boyfriend. 2. I always make sure I pull out in time. 3. My boyfriend and I only have sex every couple of weeks. 4. My girlfriend told me to douche after each time and I’d have no problem. 5. We only have sex when it’s the right time of the month for her. The narrator explains that these teens may be in for a big surprise, and goes on to fill in statistical information about the millions of unwed teenagers in the United States dealing with pregnancies each year. Eight out of ten of them who conceive did not use contraceptive protection. • Questions for Discussion and Review 1. A pregnant teenager has some major life-changing decisions to make. What are some of these decisions? Who can she turn to for help in making these decisions? 2. What are some of the immediate problems and responsibilities, or some of the long-range effects, of being a teenage father? 3. Despite the high incidence of teenage pregnancies, there is no reason to think that all teenagers have sex, or that those who do are promiscuous or have sex often. Do you agree or disagree, and why? 4. Statistics indicate that in about thirty percent of the teenage pregnancies that occur in a given year, no contraceptive protection was used. Why do you think this is so? 5. A girl says that she cannot be pregnant because she had intercourse only once; a boy then says he’ll never make anyone pregnant, because he always withdraws before ejaculation; a girl always douches after intercourse, and so, thinks she’ll avoid getting pregnant; a boy says he and his girlfriend are safe because they only have sex at the right time of the month. Are these effective methods of contraception? Explain your answer. 6. Explain the relative effectiveness (and level of safety) for each of the following contraceptive methods: condom, contraceptive foams and jellies, natural family planning (the “rhythm method”), diaphragm, intrauterine device (IUD), the “pill.” Are any of these methods 100 percent effective? 7. Does being in love mean it’s okay to have sex? Does being in love explain how a pregnancy could occur? Explain your answers. 8. The narrator asks if you’d like to have a “half share in a teenage pregnancy.” Would you? Why or why not? 9. Some of the early signs of pregnancy are tiredness, breast tenderness, and a missed menstrual period. Why do you think it might be easy for many teenage girls to ignore or deny such signs? 10. Identify and explain the most important physical and psychological changes that occur in teenagers and when they enter puberty. 11. Define or explain the following terms, indicating any relationship they have with one another: puberty, menstruation, ovulation, Fallopian tube, egg cell (ovum), sperm cells, sexual intercourse, orgasm. 12. True or false (and explain why): a girl cannot get pregnant unless she has an orgasm during intercourse; semen is released only if the boy has an orgasm; having intercourse standing up will prevent a pregnancy; all teenage girls have a predictable “safe time” each month when they cannot get pregnant. 13. Define the following terms: fertilization, zygote, implantation, uterine lining, embryo, amniotic sac, placenta, umbilical cord. 14. When do the first, second, and third trimesters occur? Outline briefly what happens during each one. Which is likely to be the most comfortable? The least? Why? 15. List and explain briefly the ways a teenage pregnancy can affect: the girl and boy involved; their parents; the community; society in general. If you wish, arrange your entries in such categories as personal, social, legal, medical, educational. 16. Describe the type of parents with whom a pregnant teenager might be able to discuss her pregnancy most easily. 17. Abortion is one of the options for a pregnant teenager. Why is abortion such a controversial issue? Why is it not “an easy solution”? Does having an abortion address the real problems and issues underlying teenage pregnancy? Explain. 18. Why do you think lack of proper prenatal care for both mother and child, premature birth, and child abuse and neglect are especially critical problems when a teenage pregnancy is involved.? 19. The narrator says that “the best way to resolve a teenage pregnancy is to avoid it.” What are some of the ways you can do this? • Related Activities 1. Have students volunteer to role-play the following situations> (For an interesting follow-up to this activity, have students repeat the same skits with boys role-playing the girls’ parts and vice versa.) --A girl tells her boyfriend that she thinks she’s pregnant… --A teenager tells her parents she’s pregnant, then asks them what she should do… --A teenage boy tells his parents that his girlfriend is pregnant… --A student confides to her teacher that she’s pregnant, and asks for help… --A pregnant teenager wants to have an abortion; her boyfriend doesn’t want that. 2. Have students do library research on the laws in your region or state concerning the rights, welfare and responsibilities involved in a teen pregnancy. The research findings can be presented in the form of a written or oral report. 3. Invite a staff member or volunteer from a local teen hotline to explain the sort of work they do, the kinds of problems that are brought to them, and how they address the problems. 4. As a writing assignment, have students create a first-person narrative based on teenage pregnancy. The “I” may be one of the partners involved, a parent, a teacher or a friend. The time frame should cover the period between suspicion or discovery of the pregnancy through its resolution. 5. As a general or small-group assignment, have students collect evidence from popular media that concerns the use of sex to sell a product, convey a message, provide a newsworthy item. The collection—samples of which can be clipped and brought into the class—should include TV and radio, movies, magazines and newspapers (both editorial and advertising matter), books and records, display ads in stores, billboards, etc. 6. Using the survey above as the basis for this exercise, have groups of students debate: “It’s no wonder young people get into sexual difficulties—it’s impossible to escape sex in everyday life,” vs. “The subject of sex should not be censored or hidden from young people.” |
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