Consequences of Teen Pregnancy

One of my favorite shows is back! The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Yes, I am quickly approaching the age of 32 but I'm so into this show. The baby has finally arrived, and Amy has to deal with the school, baby, boyfriend and working. And now her mother, played by the awesome Molly Ringwald, is pregnant (the producers decided to work in Ringwald's actual pregnancy). Grace decides to have sex with Jack against her father's wishes, only to be faced with his death at the end of this episode. While I was excited for the show to come back, I have to say that this first episode was not what I was looking for. I thought the Grace and Jack thing would have been dragged out a little more but I understand the set up, she has sex and her father dies in a plane crash the same night and of course they had a big fight right before he left. So now Grace will feel bad and reject Jack, predictable. Amy's new body (pregnancy breasts) has stirred Ben's loins and now he wants to have sex. Meanwhile his dad is dating a hooker, but doesn't know it and he's in love. This story line is gonna go nowhere, I love Jennifer Coolidge but I just don't see her sticking around for this show. I hope that they focus more on Ashley, just because that girl needs some attention.

Watching the show got me thinking about MTV's latest docu-drama series "16 & Pregnant". This show features real teens who are facing an impending pregnancy and their struggles. I am happy to see that they aren't focusing attention inner-city minority youth, because that is hardly representational of teen pregnancy (hello Bristol Palin!!). This show is in stark contrast the ridiculous excess of "Sweet Sixteen". One focuses on something most teens will never experience, while the former can happen to any teen. Sad but true. Watching this show just makes me wonder how people can still justify not teaching sexual education in school, information is powerful.