Open Letter to Gloucester

Awash in rumor, the latest teen scare story in the headlines is that of a supposed "pregnancy pact" at Gloucester High School. Whether or not the pact exists, it is unfortunate that these teenage girls must suffer through the barrage of clumsy, prudish adults psychoanalyzing them.

It has been postulated that the socioeconomic conditions in Gloucester have driven these girls to pregnancy in an effort to find love/fulfillment. It has also been stated that the school has a conservative (ie: religiously overtoned) sex ed stance. An amendment is in the works to overhaul the Commonwealth's sex ed programs, which are amazingly conservative given the reputation of Massachusetts around the country. (If that scares you, check out naral.org to get a breakdown of the backwards state of reproductive rights in the pinko state.) Better sex ed is definitely a step in the right direction, however I have a hard time believing that the kids nowadays are ignorant of many facets of modern sexuality. 

I can't fathom why these girls would want to get pregnant in high school. (Heck, I can't fathom why anyone would want to have children, and I'm supposedly creeping towards that baby-craving age.) If it was indeed an attempt to find love, I'm sad that their individual situations were sadly lacking, and regret that we adults have failed them at providing another vision of life fulfillment alternate to popping out babies. I don't think teens are so naive as to believe everything they see in the media, but the current party line of babies as the saviors of modern existence is quite overbearing. A confused teen could probably convince herself that a baby might actually be the easiest answer. 

Once again, the moral of this story is the reaction. I'm not sure if the truth will be told with regards to the girls' motives, but the knee-jerk responses of both right and left show how confused the situation has become. We're so afraid of sex that we only want it on our terms, but can't even discuss said terms. American sexuality is depicted as instinctual, with respect to socio-political groups. Those in (or growing up in) the Religious Right should "know" that sex is only for procreation. Those in/growing up in liberal environments should "know" that whatever their sexual preference, they should use protection. However, in the public sphere where these views clash, it is easy to borrow ideas that suit one's immediate purpose.

I don't have the answers, but I don't think that more liberal sex ed is the only solution. There is a large amount of generational censorship which will gradually fade out, but our political environment and Puritanical background keep us many steps behind other industrialized countries. Americans are not comfortable in their own skin, and sex will not lose its taboo until a major paradigm shift happens-- but don't hold your breath.