Amanda Big Mountain
HUM/176
Amy Dallmann-Jones
It is so frightening finding out that you are about to lose a lot of your freedoms and responsibility needs to kick in at the young age of 16. Teen pregnancy is an issue that has been in society for a very long time now. MTV has brought this issue to light by producing a television show called 16 and Pregnant. This show does not just allow viewers into the lives of these young girl’s lives to see how they feel about being a mom, but it also shows how they deal with the day to day hassles of being an adult when you make adult decisions.
16 and Pregnant is not just a reality show aired to pass the time; this show reflects on our younger generation and their inability to make the right choices in life. Young teens who decide to make the decision to not use protection have life altering consequences that need to be dealt with. Majority of teens who do end up getting pregnant choose to abort their babies, however the girls on this show take it upon themselves to raise their babies which has proven to be quite a challenge for some. In this episode, one of the girls does not keep the baby. She goes through with the pregnancy and then puts it up for adoption once she is born, which reflects on another part of society all together. It raises the question of how many teens end up getting pregnant and do not keep their babies. There are approximately 3,700 abortions done a day which adds up to about 1.37 million a year and 20% of them are from teenage girls as stated on The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform.
MTV has caught a very controversial issue of society and put it in plain sight for everyone to see. Not many people like to think about their children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters having to go through such a life changing event at such a young age. This show captures the reactions of those family members in such a huge event. 16 and Pregnant is a great show for