TresSugar

TMI? Woman to Broadcast Baby's Birth on Live TV

TresSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

It started out as a blogging gig for a moms-to-be site, but 23-year-old Lynsee, a teacher from Minnesota, decided to take it a step further. Along with her mother, husband, and midwife, she's going to have a cameraman film her giving birth while it's broadcast on live television. (No graphic shots, however.)

Although her husband Anders was hesitant at first, he finally agreed to it. "We wanted to share this experience," said Lynsee. "If I were in a classroom, I'd be teaching about development. It was a way for me to teach . . . A way for me to use myself as a textbook."

I find it odd that Lynsee asked to keep her last name private for this news story but is going to have someone film and broadcast to strangers one of the most private experiences of her life. (But maybe that's just me.) Is giving birth on television for strangers to watch TMI?

More Teens Getting Pregnant; Who They Are May Surprise You

TresSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0800

We often hear media stories about teenagers from poor and single-parent homes getting pregnant.

Research conducted for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, however, concludes that only 28 percent of people who reported giving birth or fathering children as teens lived in families with incomes below the federal poverty line, and only 30 percent said they were living with a single parent.

Although teens from poor families headed by single mothers are disproportionately likely to become teen mothers, "teen pregnancy is not limited to a particular racial group or socio-economic status or a particular family structure," says Bill Albert, chief program officer for the National Campaign.

In other words, parents and schools need to be vigilant about teaching teens either to abstain from sex or to have safe sex - even upper-middle-class teens. After 15 years of a decline in teen pregnancy, the number of teens giving birth has gone up in the last couple years. The reason? More sex and less contraception, says Albert, especially because teen boys are less concerned about contracting HIV.

Teens to Text For Morning After Pill in UK - Good or Bad Idea?

TresSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:12:43 -0800

There are more teen pregnancies in the UK than anywhere else in Europe. It might make sense then, that an experiment was conducted at six secondary schools that were considered "pregnancy hotspots" in Oxfordshire. The experiment? Girls from age 11 have been able to text requests for emergency contraception (aka the "morning after pill") if they had unprotected sex or were worried their condoms broke.

Since July, five students (less than one student per school) requested the service. The students don't just get a pill magically at their doorstep afterwards; they get a face-to-face appointment for a full clinical assessment with a nurse. (Incidentally, not one of the five students was deemed eligible after their consultations.)

Not surprisingly, people are divided about this "text-for-pill" trial. Family values groups think it promotes promiscuity among young girls, and those in support of the program want to roll it out to all schools in the county.

Does providing access to emergency contraception (via text and after consultation with health care professionals) to young girls make sense to you?

Sunday Confessional: She's Pregnant With a Stranger's Baby

TresSugar — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0700

We're mixing things up this week and taking an anonymous confession from our new Confession Booth group for you all to weigh in on! This confessor finds herself in a serious predicament.

"I just found out I'm four weeks along and don't even know this guy. I'm keeping the baby but I'm 29 and he's only 22. I'm so scared and not quite sure what the right thing to do is."

What would you do?

Make your anonymous confessions in our new Confession Booth group.

Woman Implanted With Wrong Embryo to Give Birth

TresSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Carolyn Savage was elated when she was told her implanted embryo had taken, and she was pregnant with her fourth, and last, child. After her first pregnancy, Carolyn faced a host of life-threatening problems, and two of her children had been born prematurely. Determined to have a fourth child, she and her husband Sean resorted to in vitro fertilization.

And then they received the unthinkable news from the fertility clinic: another couple's embryo had been implanted. After consulting lawyers and the biological parents, the Savages decided Carolyn would carry the baby to term and then give it up to its parents. Although the legal option was theirs, because of their beliefs, they chose not to terminate the pregnancy. Carolyn has decided to have her remaining embryos implanted in a surrogate who will carry and deliver her fourth child.

As advanced as reproductive technology is, we have yet to catch up with ways of handling the ethical dilemmas that arise when things go wrong. What if Carolyn didn't want to carry another person's baby and decided to terminate it? Legally, the biological parents would not have had recourse, but imagine how tragic her decision would have been for all involved. What do you think about fertility advancements? Are they necessary, or should people just adopt or be content with the number of children they have?

Test Time! High School to Offer Free Pregnancy, STD Tests

TresSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:33:14 -0700

In addition to math, science, and English exams, a New York high school is offering its students an even greater variety of tests: they will now have access to free and confidential pregnancy and STD tests.

Officials at Port Chester High School say they just want to offer students comprehensive health services. The school's clinic, run by Open Door, already offers immunizations, physicals, and vision and hearing tests. But some parents worry that the confidential nature of the STD and pregnancy tests will cut them out of their children's important health decisions. And the president of the school board, who opposes the plan, says it will turn the school into a quasi-maternity clinic.

Do you think it's a good idea?

Teen Pregnancy Project Scraped For Causing Pregnancies

TresSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:00:00 -0700

The UK has the highest teen pregnancy rate in all of Europe and the second highest in the developed world after the US. Deciding to address the problem, the UK dedicated millions of pounds to a project aimed at at-risk youth. Now, that project has been abandoned because it was unsuccessful in cutting conceptions. Of the teens who participated in the program, 16 percent became pregnant, compared to 6 percent of teens in other groups considered at risk.

So why has access to contraception, advertising campaigns, and more sex ed caused an increase in teen pregnancy rates? No one really knows exactly, but it appears throwing money at the problem is not the simple solution. Programs were effective when a charismatic staff facilitated access to reproductive health services, connected with the teens, and conveyed a strong and clear message about avoiding unprotected sex. When one or more of these factors was not present, the success rate dropped. In addition, researchers suspect that the program may have been more successful if it had been rooted in smaller communities, instead of implemented by pulling together kids from different places. In fact, they wonder if the at-risk kids might have negatively influenced each other more than the program.

One British commentator thinks the country needs broader policies that don't just take on teen pregnancy, but rather focus on general education and job training for youth.

Say What? Bristol Palin Ignores the Safe-Sex Option

TresSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 09:30:59 -0700

"Girls need to imagine and picture their life with a screaming newborn baby and then think before they have sex . . . If girls realized the consequences of sex, nobody would be having sex. Trust me. Nobody."

In the new issue of People magazine, teen mom and recent high school graduate Bristol Palin says that if girls realized that sex can result in pregnancy, they'd practice abstinence. I don't really follow Bristol's argument that nobody would be having sex. Doesn't the risk of pregnancy also make women consider contraception?

Scared Sexless: Ad Shows Teen Giving Birth on Playground

TresSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:00:00 -0700

A new advertisement, produced by the UK's National Health Service, realistically depicts a screaming schoolgirl giving birth on a playground amid a chaotic crowd of students. Before you watch, beware: the content is graphic.

Government officials behind the spot explain that pamphlets and posters have been ineffective in getting the message out about teen pregnancy prevention. At the end of the spot, a website for teens flashes across the screen. The site - called Hey Babe - actually has loads of useful information about sex, including advice on the HPV vaccination, contraception, questions of sexual orientation, and even abortions. If the shocking commercial can help tune kids into sex education, do you think the graphic imagery is worth it?

Are Celebrities Turning Single Motherhood Into a Trend?

TresSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:00:00 -0700

First comes marriage? Not if you listen to statistics from the UK and US. More women, in fact, are having babies out of wedlock. Correction. It's not 1950: more women are having babies while single.

In the US, teens accounted for 50 percent of unwed mothers in 1970, but that rate is now down to 23 percent. So who are these eager moms? A lot of women in their 20s. And the UK reveals a similar trend: unmarried births are poised to become the majority in the next decade. Already, one-third of mothers are under 25.

Professor Gary Hoppenstand, editor of The Journal of Popular Culture, argues that one reason might be that celebrities are making it more and more acceptable to be pregnant in flip-flops. "Young people see their favorite actresses getting pregnant without serious commitment," he said, "and it's cool for them." Hmmm. Facile and insulting? Or not entirely false?

I don't actually know anyone who got unmarried-pregnant before 30, so help me out. Have celebrities made it more acceptable? Or, are we just so beyond unwed pregnancy being an issue for 20-somethings that the bump is moot?

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