Teenage pregnancy: I think I'm pregnant and I'm only 15
Dear Mookychick,
Please help me with some teenage pregnancy advice. I think I might be pregnant... and I'm only 15! I'm turning 16 in a
couple days but still, I'm too young.
My parents are major-christian and
hate me dating, so I don't know what I'm gonna tell them if it turns out I
really am.
I've only slept with one guy and he's my boyfriend. I've
already talked with him about it and he promises me that he'll be there through
everything and help me out... but what if my parents find out and won't let me
see him anymore? Or what if they try and take my baby away?
I don't even know
if I am yet so I probably shouldn't be worrying about all this but I
hate not knowing. I can't stop worrying and I don't know what I'll do if it
turns out I really am pregnant. Please help
Love, Anonymous Me xxx
The Mookychick answer to your problem
Amanda says...
Oh my poor girl! I hope by now you've taken a pregnancy test, found
it's negative and this has all been a nasty scare that has taught you a
very harsh lesson. Please, please make sure you always use contraception,
not just to avoid unwanted pregnancies but also to avoid catching any
sexually transmitted diseases. Whatever age you are, you're not old
enough to have a sexual relationship if you're too irresponsible to take
precautions and cope with the consequences. This goes for your boyfriend
as well. Tell him to wise up! If he cares about you, he'll use a
condom...
If you've tested positive you really have to tell your parents. You
cannot even think of going through this alone. Is there a cool aunt or
sympathetic teacher you could talk to first? Someone who could help you
break the news to your parents?
If you're adamant you want to have your
baby, telling an adult you trust might prove to be a usefull ally if
your parents try to get you to give the child up for adoption.
Your folks
will undoubtedly be angry and confrontational at first but they'll come
round pretty quickly - they have to in a crisis like this. Be sure you
know what you want to do with the situation. At the end of the day,
it's your body and a baby will be your responsibility for the next 18
years. Look at all the options and really think things through.
In my quest
to find some useful pregnancy helplines and websites based in America,
I have to say that most I found were pro-life christian sites and
therefore rather biased against pregnancy termination.
Weigh up the options
between motherhood, abortion and termination at
http://thehelpline.org/unplanned-pregnancy/general-information/my-three-choices/
and www.optionline.org. Should you decide on a termination,
www.abortionclinicpages.com will give you some guidance.
However, it sounds like you've made up your mind and will find a lot of
support and useful stuff at www.standupgirl.com which is aimed at
pregnant teens and offers all sorts of help and advice for young mums, their
boyfriends, and families with lots of interaction on the girls forum.
In the meantime, I wish you all the luck in the world with telling your
parents and making the right decision.
Ashley says...
First of all, the worst thing about abortion is that if contraceptives
were as easy to come by as 99-cent greaseburgers, instead of being
locked behind the pharmacists' counter at the drugstore and not passed
out for free to anyone who wanted them (as they are online via
condoms4free.com which has been around forever) the abortion problem
would be limited to cases where the condom broke, the pill fizzled, or
you were fucking Superman, whose sperm are so virile they laugh in the
face of latex. Unfortunately, sex education in America means teaching
children what an erection is, what menstruation is, and giving a firm
warning to ABSTAIN.
Until 75 percent of the country stops believing in Angels
and the Tooth Fairy and starts reading their science textbooks, America's kids are going to be facing having unwanted babies who
will grow up in financially unstable, unprepared environments.
Surgical abortion costs about $400 and many are done at low-cost
clinics. About three out of four women pay for the procedure straight
up, though some of them are compensated later by insurance. Just one
out of ten are covered by Medicaid (free insurance for the very, very
poor, usually only provided by the state since George W. Bush sez no
federal funds for abortions) and about the same amount are billed to
private insurance. Before about two months, you can get medication
abortion, which works via pill, and after you get dilation and
evacuation, which is a procedure that has to be performed on you by a
medical professional.
If you are younger than 18, the plot thickens. In some states you have
to have your parents agree to your abortion, and if someone drives the
minor across state lines to get it done somewhere where that's not
required, it's a crime (though the child can appear before a judge,
apparently, to explain why she should be allowed to have an abortion,
for instance if she were raped by her grandfather and her parents
would prefer to keep it under wraps).
For more information in America, the National Abortion Federation
hotline is 1-800-772-9100 and Planned Parenthood's hotline is
1-800-230-PLAN.
Magda says...
More Mooky Advice Links
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www.relate.org.uk (Email counsellors about relationships)
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