The negative impact of teen pregnancy on both individuals and society is well documented. High profile teen pregnancies like those of Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin have brought the issue into new focus. Jamie Lynn’s pregnancy came after a series of negative stories in the media about her older sister, Britney. Bristol Palin’s pregnancy was revealed after her mother was chosen as Presidential hopeful John McCain’s running mate.

Of course one can speculate that Bristol’s pregnancy would not have generated such interest if her mom wasn’t running for Vice President, but who can really say? Right now however, there seem to be some people who are of the view that the pregnancies of these two teens and the subsequent media coverage have somehow made teen pregnancy more appealing.

This view may be based on the fact that these two girls are from financially stable backgrounds. Often, pregnant teens are from economically depressed areas. This, coupled with the fact that many of these teen mothers don’t obtain a high school diploma is a recipe for disaster. Most will require the social services to take care of themselves and their babies, and they will not be able to contribute to paying taxes.

I have heard a few people take aim at the movie, Juno for its depiction of a 16-year old high school student who gets pregnant. The fact that the guy who got her pregnant wasn’t even her boyfriend probably helped to raise the ire of some people as well.

Statistics show that there are over 400,000 teen births in the USA every year. The statistics showed a decrease in the number over the course of fifteen years. However, there was a three percent increase between 2005 and 2006, and it is anticipated that the figures for 2007 will also show an increase.

So will the teen pregnancies of Bristol Palin and Jamie Lynn Spears make it ‘cool’ for other teens to follow suit? If there is in fact an increase in the number of teen pregnancies over the next few years, can it in part be blamed on these two girls and to some extent the media?

One thing is certain; this issue must be confronted head on. There will always be debate on the best course of action, be it abstinence or birth control, or teaching teenagers about both. But at least we can all agree that the health and wellbeing of children is the paramount issue. I’ll leave you with a thought from Sarah Brown, the director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, When is the last time we said, as a culture, ‘Babies need adult parents.’