We’ve tried, but we just can’t take it anymore!

So last week there was a report about a bunch of Massachusetts students getting pregnant and that there was a pregnancy pact made.  Well I was looking online today and there are tons of articles attempting to dismiss the theory.  According to the Associated Press, and the Boston Harold there is no evidence to support the story that a pregnancy pact existed.  Now I am the first one to believe that there is no one that stupid to make such an agreement, even a high school student.   But there is too much evidence of things being pushed under the rug.  If it wasn’t a pact then I will call it manipulation on a massive scale.  I looked up the city’s demographics and those 17 pregnancies is the equivalent to 5% of total city population.   Someone has to wonder what the hell is going on. 

1)      I remember being in High School and there is no way that I would have admitted to making a pact about something so obviously stupid once the news got wind of the story.  There was a girl on the Today Show that denied making the pact.  She should have denied it!   Would you go on national TV and say “Yes, I am one of the horribly silly girls who decided it would be a good idea to get pregnant with the rest of my friends so that we can raise babies together (Woohoo).  I have now pretty much thrown my future away as well as my parents hope of any peace in the next three years (because the city is so economically fucked I’ll never moved out.)?  Good Times.

2)      Of course everyone on the planet is going to deny telling the writer for Time Magazine information because then it would make them look like the heartless, apathetic people they really are.  There was a social worker who had heard about the pact in the first article.  In the Harold the manager of the day care facility said that at no time did she state that a social worker knew of the pact.  Well everyone who has a job connected with the student’s welfare and health should deny knowing about the pact.  If they don’t, doesn’t it become blatant child endangerment? 

3)      I did a little investiageing today (yes the internet is a wonderful tool) and found the official press release from the City of Gloucester.  It stated that there are a few reasons for the mass pregnancies (brace yourself this is the good part).

a.       Budget cuts have forced the elimination of teachers as well as school programs.  This includes health education.

b.      Gloucester School Committee does not permit giving contraceptives to students.

c.       (this is the best one) Meeting the undefined standards of the No Child Left Behind act has caused the school the community to shift their concerns to standardized test instead of other things (like sexual education).

So, we have President Bush to blame for this disaster?  I’ll believe it when I see the parents start to protest on Capital Hill.  Until then, take some God Damn responsibility and say… “Yes we neglected to teach our students about safe sex and the consequences of their actions.  We will work harder in the future to make sure that we do not fail our youth.  We apologize to both the parents as well as to the pregnant students because we have failed you.”

http://www.gloucesterschools.com/files/documents/Press_Release_HS_Pregnancies.pdf

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1103051