Maybe if Jamie Lynn Spears had received an education other than one that was focused on abstinence, she wouldn’t be three months pregnant right now. She would have learned how to use a condom properly or she would have been on birth control. Technically, legally, she shouldn’t have been having sex anyways: the age of consent in Louisiana is 17. I didn’t initially plan on vocalizing my opinion about the Spears pregnancy disaster, but I just couldn’t hold my tongue any longer.
Yes, it was her choice to have the baby and not get an abortion or give it up for adoption, but the way this story is being publicized is a bit ridiculous. Nickelodeon, the network which boosted Baby Spears to stardom with Zoey 101, released a statement in which they praised her for “taking responsibility”. With her family’s track record, I don’t think giving birth to a child at the age of 16 (or at all, really, let’s be honest) is even close to taking responsibility. Yes, Jamie Lynn is (was?) a teen role model (she might not be for long…), there’s nothing I can do about that. But there is something parents can do about it: they can stop sitting their kids in front of the television every night and bond with them and encouraging them to have healthy and safe lifestyles. Yes, Jamie Lynn is a celebrity and she’s 16, but the sad part is her life right now so sadly mirrors the life of many girls stuck in the same situation.
If Jamie Lynn was an adult who had an high school education, financial resources, and a solid home, I don’t think it would matter so much that she’s pregnant. I could care less that Lily Allen and Jessica Alba are pregnant: they are adults with solid finances and (supposedly) healthy homes. Regardless of the fact that she isn’t married, Jamie Lynn is only 16 years old. She’s barely experienced life and now she’s giving birth to a new one. You’d think she would have learned from her sister and that double disaster.
This sudden stream of celebrity pregnancies that appear to be completely unplanned and blockbuster flicks about the same can only negatively impact young women. If you see someone doing something easily (or perceive that they are doing it easily), it makes that alternative all the more desirable. Would it really be so bad if one celebrity said “you know, I was pregnant, but it’s not the right time in my career and I’m not ready for a family, so I had an abortion”?
And, by the by, has anybody bothered to mention that Jamie Lynn technically had no legal rights to consent to sex in the first place? I know in California there is a provision for age difference (as long as it is less than 2 or 3 years - don’t know which - it is allowed), but is there one in Louisiana? Now, I am not a fan of statutory rape laws (I don’t think they are necessary, especially since there are provisions solely related to child molestation on the books in every single state) but statutory rape is something that must be prosecuted if law enforcement knows about it (just like mandated reporting for child abuse). How much do you want to bet that her ex-boyfriend won’t be taken to court on statutory rape charges, even though it is mandatory to prosecute?
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