MTV's 'Teen Mom': Pro-Life or Pro-Sex?

I think that familiarity is why those girls get pregnant. Sure, it's the sex that makes it happen but these girls have been having "adult like" relationships (where they're treated as semi-permanent instead of fleeting and fun as relationships should be at 16) and too much of their lives revolve around their boyfriends. That's why they allow the boys to have so much power and why they don't demand that the guys wear condoms.

As for the show being pro-contraception, that's what's responsible. Teaching kids about the emotional repercussions to teen sex isn't something that can be done in a TV show. It needs to be done at home by a parent.

I think this show is a terrific teaching tool for parents and I'd encourage parents to watch the show with their teens and talk about all the issues that the show brings up. It brings up moments to talk about not just sex but about the things that are important in a healthy relationship.

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When I was 16, I did not go into someone's house and open their refrigerator, go into their daughter's bedroom or even use the bathroom unless I asked first. This show (16 and Pregnant) glamorizes teen pregnancies. When I was 16, I couldn't afford a car, let alone an apartment. Each teen on this show is paid $60,000.00 for allowing their story to be broadcast. One girl is trying to push her boyfriend down the steps leading to their apartment. They are all living in a make believe world. They don't finish High School, they think a GED is the ticket to success. What does this show do except exploit these teens who think that life will be easy after the baby is born! Even people who don't break the rules are having a tough time and these boneheads are dragging their children into the mess that they made. I feel really stupid for working hard in High School. going to college and waiting until I was married to have children. These misfits don't need drugs to go to La La Land (pity their children--what kind of life will they have?) Why don't they show the "REAL WORLD" of teen pregnancy? Welfare, working 2 jobs, selling yourself to get rent money. This is a dream compared to the "REAL WORLD"!

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Its not too old fashioned, I wasn't allowed to have guys in my bedroom either. Which worked just as well since my big bed was the only thing to sit on in my room, and that would have just been awkward!

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Great post. My parents were pretty strict with me as a teenager and I'm really glad they were, even if one boyfriend referred to my house as a "jail" and my curfew was "lockdown" (my father was a judge). My parents had a warm house, but definitely with a degree of formality - definitely no boys in bedrooms - ever (including my husband when we were engaged, had been co-habitating already, and came to visit) and no one was over at the house without parents being present. There was minimal privacy (opportunity) and maximum supervision. My mother was opposed to premarital sex and yet somehow managed to have a few discussions with me about birth control/safe sex. As a teenager I saw a problem with "playing house" when we were too young to even get a hotel room (and would have had to "sneak around"). So I defered losing my virginity until 21 (to a man who was not my husband). Sex in high school would have been a huge mistake for me (even without pregnancy).

As a parent, I'm concerned how I will approach all this with my son. On one hand, human sexuality and sexual feelings are normal, but I feel I have an extra responsiblity as he is a boy (who could impregnate a girl) and I desperately want him to wait until he's mature and in a nice, committed, proper relationship with a nice young woman. At age 8 he thinks only grown ups make babies and I dread the day he will learn otherwise.

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I grew up in a house where the strictest formality was, if I was dating him, mom had to be home and if mom was home, anyone who came in had to saw hello. My best friend has been on a first name basis with my parents since high school and I was basically allowed to come and go as I please. Boys were allowed over if the house was empty, so long as we weren't going out and I had all the privacy I could shake a stick at. I was never pregnant, never drank, never did drugs, always respected my mother and waited until I was 18, in college and out of the house to have sex. My friends continue to go to my mother for advice because theirs are too strict and they feel judged, even though we're all in our 20s.

It's not the formality or attitude that causes teenage motherhood. It's lack of information and easy access to contraception and honest discussion about sex and sexuality. My mom started talking about sex with me when I was eight. I knew the pros, cons, dangers and joys of it before I was ever interested in it and it was never a taboo issue in my house. I think that made all the difference in the world. Had I gone to my mother at sixteen and asked for condoms and the pill, I would've gotten them.

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Out of the comments I've read, why doesn't anyone consider losing one's Virginity a big deal? Why should a kid be allowed to put on a condom and sleep with one's daughter? He doesn't own a house or have a job that can support a family. It's insane. This Country has really prostituted their women. Since people aren't just sleeping with their spouse we now have a 50% divorce rate. No bond! No love! I really don't relate to this mess!

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I personally dislike all shows where the people on it are only famous for having babies--Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant, 19 Kids and Counting, Kate + 8, I could go on because there are tons of them. Why are we giving people a television show for doing something that everyone on the planet is capable of? You used to have some sort of talent to be on MTV, or television in general. Now all you have to do is have a baby? In that vein, I do think that MTV is not only glorifying teen pregnancy but also glamorizing it. Let's face it, most kids today have the goal of "being famous", and why work on a skill when you can just plop out a kid and get a TV contract? Because no matter how they try to portray these girls as poor or under priviledged, they are no doubt receiving some sort of compensation from the network for appearing on these programs and magazine covers.

Now, I'm not saying that teens who wind up pregnant should be condemned and ignored and hidden away or anything, but unfortunately for our society, teen pregnancy has been on the rise the past five years, after fifteen years of steadily declining. I'm sure shows like Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant are no doubt contributing to this. Yes, there is a message of, this is hard, I wish things were different, but when you are on TV and magazine covers, this message is glossed over.

What I wish they showed on these programs more were the parents and how they handled their sex-talk with their children--whether they were more open and honest or if they avoided it altogether. I think that would be an interesting insight.

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I have watched a handful of episodes but from what I have seen a couple of these teens come from broken homes where their parents aren't exactly the best role models. There are parents who are incarcerated, drug/addicted, or abusive. In these cases these teens are looking for a family and in some cases that sense of family comes from their relationships with thier boyfriend or girlfriend. I know this is not the case for all the teens on the show but I think its important to recognize that there are larger problems going on in some of these kids' lives.

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I really appreciate how well this article is written. I also like the pro-life stance of the show, but was bothered by the lack of importance given to intimacy.

Thank you for putting into words what I've been wanting to say!

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As the mother of an almost 17yr old daughter. We have discussed the importance of contraception with our children. They are gonna be sexually curious no matter what they watch or what you say. But, watching 16 and Pregnant has helped my daughter realize that she is not ready for a baby any time soon. By seeing the hardship that the other teen moms have gone through. For her it has un-glamorized teen pregnancy.

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I am a 17 year old, and what I find to be the most disturbing aspect of these shows is that the babies of these mothers aren't treated as actual people. A baby isn't going to be a baby forever. They are going to grow up into men and women. Making a few irresponsible choices not only affects your life, but the men and women you are creating.

Naturally, there are exceptions to the rule and not every teenage couple is a "failure" or are doomed to miserable lives. But it's already difficult enough for adults with jobs, homes, and more experience to raise a child to be a happy and moral human being. I think the lives of a new generation of men and women is not trivial enough to be glamorized by tv shows like these.

With that said, teen pregnancy is not going to just disappear if it isn't shown on tv. I think it would just be better if the shows had a more educational and ethical approach, and helped prevent the belief (even if only subconscious) of many teenagers that the "end" is when a couple has the baby.

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I watch the show sometimes and it's amazing to see how very unprepared teen parents espcailly teen dads who seem always gone and never be there for their babies just are not ready at all period. Only couple that I am the most proud of are the couple who gave their daughter up for open adoption because they knew that they're not ready at all and their parents are just not very nice toward the young couple who are clearly still in love with each others. I Hope for the best future for this couple and they are soul mates that's it. Also, they are perfect for each others and wish them good luck for their future.

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My husband and I are both 30, and contemplating trying to have kids now. We watch Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant sometimes, and we both have said that we should buy them all on DVD to show our son or daughter them when they become teenagers. Once they see the hardships that some of these kids are facing, they will hopefully think twice about having sex so young!

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This show is full of trashy people living trashy lives.I originally thought Maci had some intelligence. Then I saw her jump into another relationship. What kind of loser introduces his/her child to a gf/bf so early in a relationship. I am so sick of Maci whining about her baby's father. He did not love her and she is vengeful, badmouthing everything he does. If everything is not done the way she wants she calls him a bad father. Look at her-moving the child away from his father is the worst thing and she is doing it so she can jump into bed with her new BF! The only people on the show who love their child are Katelyn and her bf, who were loving enough to give their baby a better life through adoption. None of the parents on this show are capable of raising children and none should have them. All these people think about are their own feelings, never taking into consideration the needs of their children. They are all scumbags! It sickens me that this show is on the air, making celebrities of these sluts (male and female). Our society is morally bankrupt when losers like this are idolized. research shows young teens are now getting pregnant on purpose so they can get on this show.

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