Tonight, ABC airs a special Primetime show called Family Secrets: Teen Pregnancy at 10 PM ET. The following is our response to the show, which followed a group of teens over a year through pregnancy, birth and beyond.
Jeannette Pai-Espinosa, President of The National Crittenton Foundation, thinks that the nation has overlooked the issue of teen parents at the worst possible time. Behind the conversations about abstinence, comprehensive human sexuality education and adoption lies the stark reality: thousands of teen parents remain invisible, struggling to grow up themselves, while raising their own children.
After declining for 14 years, the teen pregnancy rate rose in 2006 and 2007, which has greatly alarmed researchers and public health advocates. Now, with the airing of a special Primetime called “Family Secrets” on June 23rd, Pai-Espinosa is motivated to talk about the support that teen parents and their children need—and what happens when society ignores these needs. Read More »
