I know this forum is for older moms, but these days teen pregnancies are on rise and are thing of concern for the society.The issue Palin's teen daughter's pregnancy was in the news for last few weeks. Palin gave birth to her fifth child and soon found out that her daughter is  five months pregnant.Is it fair, if the things are allowed to happen the way they are or you feel that there should be some stern steps taken?

Unmarried girls have been getting pregnant since time began. In my family there's an aunt who would be in her seventies now. She had a child “out of wedlock”, as it's spoken about in whispered tones, at fifteen. It's not exactly a new phenomenon.

The difference is girls no longer disappear to remote family locations to have them and are forced to give the baby up for adoption. They don't have to keep the secret that their “little brother” is in fact their son. (The latter is was what happened to my aunt.)Times have changed and there's far more options than ever. Personally I think what we need is education and more education. Whether people approve or disapprove,  for as long as teens feel they're in love, it will keep happening.

I'm wondering what kind of stern steps you're referring to, sanju. Stern steps sounds pretty ominous to me. Unless we want to lock up our daughters (or maybe we should lock up our sons since it takes two to make a baby), I don't see what more can be done than is already. We can guide our children and let them know we're open to discussing sensitive subjects. After that, we can only hope they make the right choices. At the end of the day, the baby didn't ask to be brought into the world. Even if only for that reason, I think we should find it in our hearts to support the mom in making the best life possible for her child.

Just my two cents.

Is it fair, if the things are allowed to happen the way they are or you feel that there should be some stern steps taken?

Is it fair in what way?  And what kind of steps would you consider?

Personally, I agree with Kay, teens and/or unmarried girls have been getting pregnant forever.  I see it more today because parents are fighting for the teenaged girl to stay in school with the rest of the kids and demanding a fair education, instead of a second rate one in a continuation school.

What I don't find fair is that because of their age or marital status, they are immediately judged by the public and by the medical staff that they are forced to see to keep their unborn baby healthy.  They are lumped into statistics that are meant to scare and intimidate the teenaged girl that wants to be a good mom.

What would I consider doing?  I think these girls should absolutely be allowed to remain in their schools as long as THEY want to be.  I think they should be educated on parenting a newborn, they should be directed to places that can help them get on their feet with food, diapers and housing.  They should be educated on applying and interviewing for jobs and what to look for to help them and their child, example;  insurance, child care aid, etc.

In my state they have a few homes for pregnant teens whose families have turned them away.  They help teach the girls how to take care of a home, cook healthy meals for themselves and their children, and they provide affordable daycare for their children while they work/go to school.  Unfortunately, the circumstances to get into these homes have to be pretty grim and there are never enough beds to go around.

To help keep the teen pregnancy rate down, I think we need to teach MORE than abstinence, we need to teach about pregnancy and birth control in schools and get parents more involved in teaching this stuff to their children. What about a parenting class for parents of prettens that helps you through the embarassment of approaching this subject with your child?