Glamorizing Teen Pregancies [Edit]

Photos of Jamie Lynn Spears and her new baby daughter, Maddie Briann, have already made it into the hands of the media, mere weeks after the teenage sister of Britney Spears gave birth. The way Jamie Lynn, who is only 17, is gushing about her new baby, could lead to fans of the singer/actress trying to emulate her by having babies of their own. There are already 729,000 teen pregnancies in the US each year.

How’s this for a scary stat: Every 3 out of 10 women have babies by the time they’re 20 years old. In 2006, teen pregnancies were already up 3%.

“Hundreds of thousands of teens and unmarried young adults get pregnant and become parents every single year, and few of them have Hollywood beginnings or endings,” a statement for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy said. “Getting pregnant and bearing children is one of the most important steps that any person ever takes, and it deserves careful planning, thought and consideration.”