Teen Pregnancy

When it comes to preventing pregnancy, teens sure get some mixed messages. MTV teen moms become celebrities, while Bristol Palin, who had a child at 18, is a high-paid abstinence advocate. The theme seems to be: have a kid, make money! Of course, most teens are smart enough to know that a baby is rarely a ticket to a big payout. But, is Bristol's potentially hypocritical message making enough of a difference that the pro-abstinence Candie's Foundation needed to pay her $262,500 in 2009, while only spending $34,000 on groups that directly work with youth to prevent pregnancy?

The head of the foundation thinks so. While most stars return their paychecks when working with nonprofits, Candie's head Neil Cole told the Daily Beast he didn't mind that Bristol did not, since Bristol was the "most exciting thing we've done." He said, "She gave us a lot more time over and above what she agreed to," filming PSAs and making TV appearances. The company also points out that its goal is to raise awareness, not make grants to programs.

Cole describes Bristol as the "gift that keeps on giving," and if you believe all press is good press, the foundation might benefit from the exposure it keeps getting from Bristol, even if it's controversial. Unless, of course, people second-guess donating money to the cause, knowing most of it could end up in a Palin's pocket.

The spotlight might be on the teen moms and (their copycat friends) becoming celebrities courtesy of MTV, but not all adolescents are sexually active. A recent report by the National Center for Health Statistics says "27% of young men and 29% of young women ages 15-24 say they've never had a sexual encounter." That's a five and seven percent increase (of those that are abstinent) from the organization's 2002 study. While pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases may be deterrents for some kids, parental influence, ethics, and maturity also likely play a role in their decisions. One report said:

Among those ages 15-19 in the new study, 45% of girls and 41% of boys reported no sexual contact; among ages 15-17, 58% of girls and 53% of boys said they had no sexual contact with another person. For ages 20-24, just 12% of women and 13% of men had never had sexual contact.

Do you think teen virginity will become a trend?

Photos copyright 2011 MTV

Kim Kardashian and her gorgeous gaggle of sisters may capitalize on the fact that sex sells, but she doesn't think teens should be getting pregnant and raising children. Kardashian recently posted her opinion on her blog. She said:

I saw a story about a Memphis high school where 90 young female students were either pregnant or have given birth this year! I just couldn’t believe this and I find it so sad and disturbing. It seems that shows like Teen Mom are all of a sudden making teen pregnancy seem cool in the eyes of young girls. The kids from these shows are all over the news, even on the covers of magazines, and have been become almost like celebrities, but girls, these are not people you should idolize!

While the 30-year-old makes a valid point, do her actions — posing for everything from Playboy to bikini ads — speak louder than her advice?

Baby booms can be cause for concern. Though the public is celebrating Tinseltown's burgeoning bellies, at Frayser High School expanding stomachs are making for a grim statistic. Ninety girls out of the Memphis, TN school's 800 students have been pregnant this year. If you consider that 30 percent of teen pregnancies end in abortion, an even larger percentage of the student body was likely expecting. The city of Frayser is launching programs in an attempt to curtail future underage pregnancies. According to the report, the initiative will launch this week. It will include:

• After-school and in-school programs funded with grant money, operated by a local non-profit that already does some work for city schools.
• A $250,000 advertising campaign targeted at the Frayser community that is based on research done in focus groups at the school.
• A federally funded component that emphasizes the responsibility of young men, operated through a Memphis hospital.

Do you think this action will have an effect? Or, is teen pregnancy just a fact of life?

Not all teens who get pregnant become moms. Some young women choose to put their children up for adoption, and others terminate their pregnancies. While MTV has explored the expectant phase, mothering, and the process of adoption, next week the network will cover abortion with No Easy Decision. According to EW:

The special, airing Dec. 28 at 11:30 p.m., will follow one former 16 and Pregnant subject, Markai, as she wrestles with the decision after becoming pregnant for a second time. Dr. Drew Pinsky will also talk with young women who, like 27 percent of teens who end up with unplanned pregnancies, have chosen to end them. MTV sources say the documentary will tackle all sides of the issue, including the importance of contraception and the devastating effects of facing such a decision.

Will you tune in?
Photos copyright 2010 MTV