Teen Pregnancies

Assalamu Alaikum

This morning as I was reading the news, I came across this disturbing article.

Teen ‘pregnancy pact’ has US town reeling in shame

WHEN a 15-year-old girl at Gloucester high school in Massachusetts discovered she was pregnant earlier this year, she displayed no trace of fear or concern. Shown the results of her pregnancy test, she responded: “Sweet!” She then rushed off to tell her friends.

The girl was among a group of up to 18 Gloucester teenagers who may have made an apparent “pregnancy pact” that has stunned this decaying fishing community

The notion that girls as young as 14 might deliberately try to become pregnant has embarrassed school and health officials. It has also ignited a row about what exactly the girls were up to, and to what extent the religious beliefs of this predominantly white and Catholic corner of New England may have encouraged an unprecedented spike in teenage sexual activity.

to read the complete article refer to:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4187548.ece


A few years ago the "norm" for high school students was to get involved in drugs... is this this what the students need to do to feel accepted by their peers?
What about the parents? What are they doing about it?
Or are the teenagers of America so "liberated" that they can do whatever they like without even thinking of the consequences of their actions?

What about the welfare of the resulting children?
They are just born into single parent families, how is this goof for the child? A child needs both his/her parents for a proper upbringing!

Are the boys /men who get these girls pregnant responsible for what they have done or do they just walk away, leaving the girl to take care of herself and the baby??

"Teenagers who enter into pacts are feeling neglected and estranged from their parents, Lieberman says. "The teenage years are fraught with challenges to their fragile emotions, so parents need to stay closely involved with their teen's life." http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=5215182&page=3

As the above article states it is children that are neglected by their parents that end up doing such things... Perhaps the parents should be more understanding towards their children, and unwrap themselves from their busy lives to give much needed attention to these teenagers, be friends to them and guide them to make wiser choices by telling them the consequences of their planned actions.

One such student wishes she had the chance to change things here what she says:
Alycia Mazzeo, who became pregnant at 14 and now has a seven-month-old daughter to look after, said she wished she had a chance to lecture her schoolmates about the realities of teenage motherhood. “It’s not all cute things like dressing up your baby,” she said.

Also, Films such as Juno and Knocked Up have been blamed for romanticising a social evil, as has massive media coverage of Britney Spears and her family. Spears’s actress sister, Jamie Lynn, gave birth last week after becoming pregnant at 16

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4187548.ece


Alhamdu-Lillah As Muslims we do not have to face such problems if we live according to Shariah, and they rights of the children are secured.
The girls and boys are responsible for their deeds, I'm not saying that Muslims don't do such things, the ones that have weak Imaan do that and in doing so make other Muslims look bad!

Let me know your opinions

Wa' Salaam