Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High

To be or not to be- Pregnant that is, this seems to be the question of the day for the girl's at Gloucester High School.
School Officials started looking into the situation in October, after an unusual number of girls went to the school clinic to see if they were pregnant. By May, results from pregnancy test were still being done. Those girls that were not pregnant seemed more upset of the results.
The expecting students finally admitted to making a pact to get pregnant so they could raise their babies together. What made it worse, they had found out one of the father's to be was a homeless 24 year old.
The question what to do next had separated the community. On one side- Gloucester isn't sure they want to help make it easier for birth control. On the other hand, many residents think the issue is not the true problem. A decade of difficult times for the fishing industry, that was once strong in this town, jobs have moved to overseas. "Having someone to love unconditionally", is what Amanda Ireland 18, a former student said, she herself had a child her freshman year. These young girls felt lucky to have someone to care for.
The high school hasn't helped with the matter much. Sex- Ed classes were only offered as freshman. A day care center offered free care for teen parents. By May contraceptives were being prescribed by Dr. Orr and Ms. Daly whether they had a parental consent. Many in the community were angry of the school handing out birth control pills. Voting at Gloucester will take place this summer on the right to provide contraceptives. With the city being uncertain of it's future, no other option has been offered to these students.

My opinion: I do not agree with these young ladies getting pregnant. Most of them will realize soon how difficult it is to raise a child, even with help. They are still growing and maturing themselves. I remember my friend getting pregnant at 16 and having her first child at 17. I remember her saying, " if only I hadn't of gotten pregnant I would of finished school, if only I hadn't got pregnant I would of wanted a career. I just don't want these young ladies to say down the road, "what if". Those that have stayed in school and finished, or later down the road went and got their GED I give them props for wanting to make a better future for themselves and their children.