This passage in the TIME article is particularly revealing:

Ireland, 18, gave birth her freshman year and says some of her now pregnant schoolmates regularly approached her in the hall, remarking how lucky she was to have a baby. "They're so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally," Ireland says. "I try to explain it's hard to feel loved when an infant is screaming to be fed at 3 a.m."

In addition to communicating to the next generation about what babies need, it seems likely that helping similar teens learn about the reality of being a teen parent might be effective. If Ireland is correct that these teens were seeking someone to love them unconditionally, then neither talk about what babies need, nor providing wonderful job opportunities would address this underlying desire. Fortunately, cases like these where the teens truly want to get pregnant are a small proportion of all teen pregnancies. For those teens that are still thinking being a teen parent might be fun, hopefully they will watch the Baby Borrowers (see below and http://www.nbc.com/The_Baby_Borrowers/).

It is so sad that young girls these days think that is cool to have babies. Children are a huge responsibility. My husband and I got married at 22 & 24. We were virgins. Kids need to be taught more about abstinence, and IF they do have sex.......use protection. Being pregnant as a teenager has become a "cool" trend for these girls. But, they don't realize that these choices will come with huge responsibilities.

This situation is tragic. I am 27 years old and married to a wonderful man. We recently had our first child. We love her, but the fact is, the job of parenting is tough. Even with 2 of us, it is hard. How could a high school student possibly provide a baby with what he or she needs? Why didn't those girls think about the babies instead of themselves? Why didn't their parents and society teach them to think about others? Why didn't we teach them by example, and by loving those young girls and teaching them morals so that they didn't do this terrible thing.

As Sarah Brown notes, the situation is not only tragic for the teens involved, but especially for the children who will be raised by single, young, unprepared mothers. Children raised in such circumstances are more likely to be living in poverty for part of their childhood and less likely to receive the stimulation they need for their healthy social, emotional, and intellectual development.

We need to teach teens that family formation is linked with good outcomes for children. We need to give teens the facts about what children need from their parents to thrive.

As a society, why do we allow teens to take babies home from the hospital? We don't let 15-year olds drive cars. Not even if they beg and plead and tell us how much they "love" their car. We don't let them have after school jobs flipping burgers even if they tell us they'll be responsible workers. As a society we say, "you're too young".

But somehow, having a child is different. All you have to do is get accidentally pregnant and, with rare exceptions, you get to take a baby home and mess them up as you attempt to fulfill you fantasies of being a mommy. All at public expense, of course.

1. The search for "unconditional love" means someone, parents, community members, teachers have failed these children. We have to do better, to educate, connect with, validate and support our children. We also need to be open and honest in tackling complext problems in dicussions. NOthing is TABOO to discuss with them. They need answers, adults should be guiding them while giving them room to grow into independent young people. These women need to know they have options. They need to know that they don't need a baby to validate their worth or purpose in life. We have to do better.

2. We need to address the issue of unprotected sex not just for the scariness of their intent to get pregnant but the danger in contracting an STD especially HIV. Are they being educated about safer sex and contraception? The young lady who sought 24 yr old homeless man to impregnate her demonstrated typical teenage immaturity and poor decision making skills. She asked a complete strnager to have sex with her, a man whom she has no familiarity or relationship. If these teens are so simpleminded that they engage in sex without considering all the possible consequences of their actions, we are bound to be in more trouble than a couple of out-of-wedlock babies. We need to let female teenagers know that it is not safe to allow a man to ejaculate inside of them if they are not fully and certainly aware of his health status. PERIOD!!

3. Where is talk of the fathers of these teen babies? Sex is a two person consential act (we at least we hope). I doubt that these girls were cunning enough to conivingly get these men to impegnate them. Did these men want to father children with 15 yrs they didn't plan to marry or barely even knew? Did they want that for themselves? I refuse to believe they were mindless enough to seek sex without thinking about protecting themselves or ensuring they didn't help contribute to the ongoing cycle of fatherless children. Where is their responsiblity in this? Did they know they were possibly committing a felony by sleeping with a 15 yr old? did any of them consider the financial and legal ramifications of fathering a child should the families of these babies seek child support? We put so much responsiblity for contraception and STD prevention in the palm of women's hands, men are let off the hook. If you don't want to be a father put on a condom!! (regardless of what a 15 yr old girl may say about being on birthcontrol). what are the goals these men had for themeslves? What are their moral standardss. Just because they don't get pregnant doesn't mean they are exempt from criticism and evaluation of how they are contributing to this phenomenon of teen pregnancy/unplanned pregnancy. Women don't GO GET PREGNANT as society often says, someone impregnates them. It takes two!

Couldn't we build on this news opportunity by creating some kind of movement for kids to make positive pacts- such as not having a child until they are adults and stable. Or maybe even that they would remain abstinent until they are adults and stable. We need to get as many 14 year old moms as possible out there in front of the media to tell the truth about what this looks like. I work with young girls experiencing an unplanned pregnancy through a maternity home setting. I have actually gotten used to 14 years old having babies. At 14, the brain is not fully developed and as a consequence they are not even capable of seeing the bigger picture regarding motherhood. It is tragic......

Sarah, you nailed everything that has been missing in how some teach about 'reproductive health". If you keep telling children, "it's your choice, it's your body" why are we surprised when impressionable children follow the adult advice. We taught them about sex but not about relationships or love. We are reaping what we sowed. Although this was a pact to get pregnant, the "accidents" are because 12%-20% of girls aren't using the contraceptives being pushed on them. We forgot they are children yet expect them to function like adults. I can tell this bothers you, Sarah--you have the power to change the culture in this matter. Are you brave enough to try?

Speaking of helpful prevention or interventions, there are educational programs now available that address teen motivation (as curriculum developer Marline Pearson writes). These research-based healthy relationship education programs teach teens what a healthy relationship looks like, what abuse is, what a baby needs, and how to set realistic goals to achieve optimal success in their lives and the lives of their potential future families. See http://www.dibblefund.org. More kids have a right to know the information necessary to achieve relational success and life success--and schools, after-school programs, parents, healthcare, anyone who works with teens one-on-one, will appreciate the "preventative" spin, and the substantive outcomes. And more tragedies might be deferred. . .

It appears that this may be one unintended consequence of the current mixed-message rhetoric: creating romance around the idea of having babies. Young girls all of a sudden want to have them.

These girls can't win - they are simply responding to the clear messages about how "precious" the life of every baby is. And then they naively follow down that romantic garden path of empty promises about how welcome all those precious babies are in society, until after they are born.

When society has to pay for all those precious little babies, then the girls wanting to have them are bad for being so irresponsible?

Do you think this "Baby Borrowers" show on NBC will help or hinder trying to get a message across to these teens?

There are many assumptions made here.

I do agree that teens should be fully aware of what they are getting into, and preferably in a financially stable situation. HOWEVER, let's be a little conscious of the values we are putting out there right now...

1. A woman should have a man, be married, have the father involved? Many single mothers & those out of wedlock have been done it, & done so quite successfully. Don't forget the recent research about gay couples being great parents too. Maybe a community of women raising their children together is a MORE supportive system, even ("it takes a village..."). Certainly a better situation than a young teenage couple forcing themselves into marriage because that's how they "should" do things. I think everyone agreed that, at the end of "Juno," the single mom made a much better situation for the baby than the pair together, and the two weren't even teenagers!

2. These teens are having babies only because it's "cool?" Although I see teens are sometimes apt to try things simply because they are fads, they are also capable of extremely responsible and thoughtful behavior. For all I know, there was much consideration & care given into the decision for these young women to bring another person into the world. Who are we to deny them the right to creating life, to take part of this beautiful, awesome thing?

3. A teenager is unable to take care of a child? Teenaged women have been doing it for ages! Many young men/women have (& do) rise to a standard set way above what we give them... which, apparantly, is a pretty low bar.

I think that it is disgusting that they had planned it , your 15 years old , you shouldnt be worried about having kids yets , wouldnt you want to grow up make something of your self , get married to the guy you love and have a baby with the person you love. These girls are having babies by guys who will not be there for them , and babies only stay babies for so long than they grow up to teenagers its only going to get harder and you will be doing it on your own. You may think it will be all fun and games but its not going to be. I think the girls need to grow up themselves and not be selfish and bring babies into this world, that they know they arent capable of taking care of to the full extent.

I am a school nurse at a High School of about 1,400 students. This year alone we have had 25 teen pregnancies (these are only the ones that I know about). I increasingly have students come to my office for information about STI's, pregnancy and where to receive pregnancy tests. Our state has an abstinence sex ed program meaning myself or another health educator cannot teach a class on birth control, unplanned pregnancy, condom use and STI risks. I may teach on a 1:1 basis if a student comes to me. However, I cannot hand our condoms or give pregnancy tests. You can imagine my concern and the need for a comprehensive education program for our youth. They need to be informed.
In my experience, these teens have no idea what they are getting in to and they are scared to talk to their parents. Not all parents take the lead role in educating their children about sexual issues, so if their parents don't it is our responsibality as educators to inform and educate.
I was a teen parent myself and I know all to well the struggles involved in raising a baby at such a young age. The issue of preventing teen pregnancy and sex education is a passion of mine. I urge you to contact your local school boards to push a comprehensive sex education program in your local schools (if there isn't one already). I am working with some of our local health care providers and school board to get our abstinance program changed. It may be a slow drawn our process but to me it is worth it.