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Pausing on the first day of school yesterday to consider the significance of another high-profile teen pregnancy, Hudson administrator Wendy Doremus said it demonstrated the need for substantive health education. "I don't believe we do enough of it in the schools," said Doremus, the district's health and nursing services director. "Other things take priority." Doremus spoke just days after news broke that the 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is five months pregnant and plans to marry. The subsequent national attention follows notable cases of youthful procreation this summer: 17-year-old starlet Jamie Lynn Spears' delivery and reports...

PROOF THAT OBAMA DELAGATES KNEW ABOUT BRISTOL, according to a contributor/blogger at obama's official site

Out-of-wedlock pregnancy is a common problem in 21st century American society. I hope to put this problem to expression and examine the relative ethical merits of two possible courses of action in simple mathematical terms. This is by necessity only an extremely rough sketch; it is the overriding idea that counts. For ease of reference, we will refer to these as Action A and Action B. A. Some pregnancies are concealed by removing the object of the pregnancy, as the baby is sucked out of its mother's womb and its body parts sent to a pathology lab. The selling point...

In a report released Tuesday, the New York-based Guttmacher Institute ranked all 50 states in their efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy and found a diverse collection of states at the top. California ranked first and New York ranked fifth, a result that may seem predictable, given both states' liberal orientations toward social issues. But between them in the highest rankings sit three conservative states - Alaska, South Carolina, and Alabama.

“..birds do it, bees do it/ Even educated fleas do it/ Let’s do it, let’s fall in love.” –Cole Porter Most people realized that Porter wasn’t singing about the birds and the bees or even about falling in love back in 1928 when he wrote, “Let’s Do It.” Back in his time, when a girl “did it” and got caught, she was usually hustled off to a distant relative or to a home for wayward girls. Times have changed. And now that Republican VP candidate, Governor Sarah Palin’s family has revealed that seventeen year old Bristol Palin is five months...

Bristol Palin's pregnancy is a "damaging revelation " that has caused Sarah Palin's image to "suffer." Says who? Says ABC News, in an article by Rick Klein and Jennifer Parker. In Palin Pregnancy Rocks Political World, Klein and Parker report reaction from a variety of Republican and traditional-values sources. Every one, from Dr. James Dobson to Grover Norquist to Chuck Donovan of the Family Research Council to a pro-life delegate to the GOP convention who said "the fact that her daughter's keeping it and marrying the father is wonderful," had a positive reaction. But what do they know? Declare Klein...

Alan Colmes not only stands by his vile remarks on Governor Palin, but urges us to "bring it on" as he defends his statements. I say we "Bring It!"

This is a picture of Sarah Palin, who appears really pregnant: Link

Yesterday, I became aware of a vicious slander against Republican VP choice, Sarah Palin ,and asked my fellow Freepers for help. Many said we should just ignore the whole thing,but I believe evil of this sort should be confronted head-on. Many,many other Freepers contributed links to helpful information, and , thanks to their help,this unofficial counter-attack is underway.

LIZETTE IRVIN, HEAVILY PREGNANT, reclined on a hospital bed, relaxed, considering the circumstances. A bag of fluid dripped into her blood through an IV line as Irvin sucked on ice cubes, trying to pass the time. The ice helped to minimize the metallic taste and heat in her mouth from 5-fluorouracil, an antimetabolite, which entered her bloodstream via a catheter inserted in her chest. It was June 16, Irvin’s fourth round of chemotherapy. She was 32 weeks pregnant and had breast cancer. Before she left the chemo suite at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Irvin, who is...

Another day another "study" of dubious worth. This time it is Science Daily letting us know that "Latinas" in the United States have high rates of depression because of that dreaded "Americanization" they apparently unfairly face. So now, just the gall-darn, odiousness of becoming "Americanized" is enough to send "Latinas" to the funny farm, I guess. But, it seems to me that this "study" tends to say that it is single motherhood and out of wedlock pregnancies causing the depression not the fact that they are "Latinas" that have become acculturated to American ways. Just look how horrible it is...

British broadcaster Natasha Kaplinsky The UK’s Daily Mail has a story on the very pregnant, multimillion dollar British broadcaster Natasha Kaplinsky, who’s strolling about London in what they describe as “killer red stilettos”. Well, frankly we don’t find her choice of footwear all that stylishly appealing, and it may likely be a health risk. We worry about Ms. Kaplinsky stumbling about or falling in her clearly uncomfortable shoes, and hurting her unborn child.

PETA Expands Ad Campaign That Uses Teen Pregnancy to Push Pet Message Friday, July 18, 2008 By Catherine Donaldson-Evans Fox News Animal rights group PETA is rolling out its controversial "Sex Talk" ad — in which two parents urge their daughter to have a lot of sex and "pop out all the kids you want" — in the top 10 teen pregnancy states to promote spaying and neutering of pets. The 30-second commercial was launched in January in Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears' hometown of Kentwood, La., after news emerged of then 16-year-old Jamie Lynn's pregnancy. The "Zoey 101" star,...

Four cups of coffee a day seriously damage a woman’s chances of having a baby, research suggests. The effect is almost as bad as the problems in pregnancy caused by alcohol, smoking or being overweight, a fertility conference heard. Women drinking that much caffeine were 26 per cent less likely to have a baby — adding to evidence that it can harm fertility and the health of an unborn baby. Earlier this year, it was claimed that just two cups of coffee a day could double the risk of miscarriage. Coffee has also been found to increase the risk of...

The ideology of teen pregnancy By Christopher Caldwell Published: June 27 2008 19:59 | Last updated: June 27 2008 19:59 Every year at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts, three or four girls get pregnant. But not this year. This year 17 did. When Time magazine alleged that some of the girls had a “pregnancy pact”, reporters and cameramen from around the world descended on the fishing port. Whether the pact was a teenage dare or a practical arrangement by the girls to give each other moral support has been hotly debated. No one disputes, though, that many were delighted to...

BOSTON (Reuters) - The mayor of a Massachusetts city that drew attention for a spike in teenage pregnancies denied on Monday a media report that a group of girls entered a pact to become pregnant. "I am not able to confirm the existence of a pact," Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk told reporters after meeting with local school and health officials to discuss a June 18 Time magazine report about teenagers who entered a pact to get pregnant and raise babies together. "Any planned blood-oath bond to become pregnant, there is absolutely no evidence of," she added, blaming a rise in...

June 24th, 2008 The “expert” analyses of why at least 17 teenies at Gloucester (MA) High got themselves with child begin: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/25279403/?GT1=43001 Obviously, they didn’t execute the project alone–one enlisted the assistance of a 24 year old homeless guy–but apparently it was of their own volition and speculation as to their reasons for effectively ending their childhood are pretty irrelevant. The school was certainly an enabler, a willing facilitator, by assuring them in advance that they could have their little cherubs taken care of via an onsite daycare program. What’s debatable is not teen hormones or the reasons for their...

This could be perhaps the most bizarre application of James Carville's worn out expression, "It's the economy stupid." "CBS Evening News" linked the economy to the famed pregnancy pact that has received national attention. The June 19 broadcast of "Evening News" faulted the ailing economy for 17 Massachusetts high school students agreeing to get pregnant intentionally around the same time so they could raise children together. According to Gloucester Public Schools Superintendent Christopher Farmer, the girls did it to gain status. CBS correspondent Michelle Miller took it a step further and made an economic connection.

Massachusetts High School Faces Pregnancy Boom Thursday, June 19, 2008 A Massachusetts high school is facing a pregnancy boom with 17 girls entering summer vacation expecting babies in what some have called a pregnancy pact. Officials at Gloucester High School in Gloucester, Mass., are investigating whether half of the teens made a pact to get pregnant during the school year, Time.com reported. Officials said that beginning last fall a large group of girls started asking the school clinic for pregnancy tests, the site said. "Some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," principal Joseph Sullivan...

Agata Mroz celebrating a win in volleyball Rome, Jun 16, 2008 / 12:24 pm (CNA).- Thousands of Poles lined up to say their final goodbyes to Agata Mroz, a young volleyball star who died on June 4 after postponing a bone marrow transplant in order to allow her daughter to be born.At the age of 17, Agata was diagnosed with leukemia. She battled the disease and ended up becoming one of the top athletes in Poland, winning the European Volleyball Championship twice with her country’s team. She joined the professional volleyball team CAV in Murcia, Spain, where she also...

Middle School Pregnancy Test by: Deborah Lambert, June 12, 2008 An irate father in Jackson, Mississippi is demanding that his daughter’s sixth grade teacher at the Chastain Middle School be fired, said pcblogspot.com. According to Curtis Lyons, the teacher handed out a survey asking students to select which one of their classmates was most likely to contract AIDS, get pregnant or die before they graduated. When she learned that her fellow students thought she would be the first one to get pregnant, his daughter—an honor student—was humiliated, said Lyons. “Where was the lesson in that?” asked Lyons, who said that...

A school board in Arizona has decided that condoms are among the items that should be given to students attending this year's prom. The school board in the Bisbee District voted 4-1 at a recent meeting to include the condoms in a "prom bag" that will be given to prom-goers this year. A spokeswoman in the office of Supt. Paul McDonald confirmed the condoms would be handed out to the event celebrants, along with other items such as picture frames, balloons and candy. "The governing board approved [this]," she told WND. "They are to have what they call prom bags,...

A transgender man in Bend claims he is five months pregnant -- in a case that would stretch the meaning of the 21st-century family and the limits of personal pronouns. But what sounds on the Internet like science fiction or tabloid hype may be more a matter of semantics, hormones and personal choice. The parent-to-be was born female but identifies as a man, he writes in his first-person account posted this week by The Advocate, a national gay publication. He legally changed his name to Thomas Beatie and married a woman named Nancy. Beatie declined to answer questions from The...

New research, published by Child Trends in the journal Demography, confirms a long know fact that teens have a mixed track record with contraceptives. This research concludes that "Overall, teens do not use contraceptives consistently, which places them at risk of unintended pregnancy and STIs." The research shows that across all relationships, 59% of teens always used contraceptives,17% sometimes used them, and 24% never used them. This means that 41% of teens never or inconsistently used them, and research shows those with such a history were likely to continue in that pattern. This highlights the fact that overall, contraceptives can't...

February 14, 2008 Zoo slammed for elephant's 'under-age pregancy' Philippe Naughton Sydney's Taronga Zoo has been reprimanded by animal rights activists for letting an Asian elephant fall pregnant even though she is only nine years old. The zoo, famed for its views over Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, proudly announced today that Thong Dee was five months into a 22-month pregnancy and should become the first captive elephant in Australia to give birth. It even released ultrasound images to confirm what it called an "historic event". But Erica Martin, who heads the Asia Pacific office of the International...

Too much caffeine during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage, a new study says, and the authors suggest that pregnant women may want to reduce their intake or cut it out entirely. Many obstetricians already advise women to limit caffeine, though the subject has long been contentious, with conflicting studies, fuzzy data and various recommendations given over the years. The new study, being published Monday in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, finds that pregnant women who consume 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day — the amount in 10 ounces of coffee or 25 ounces of tea...

"Skipping the Hospital and Its Rules Has Benefits, and Dangers, for Mother and Child" More women are opting for do-it-yourself deliveries rather than dealing with the regulations, constrictions and rules they'd face if they gave birth in a hospital. Home births comprise about 1 percent of all U.S. births, and while no hard data exists to indicate how many of them take place without a midwife or doctor present, experts said the number of unassisted births is rising. More than 100 discussion groups about the subject have sprung up on Yahoo's Web site.

ANAND, India - Every night in this quiet western Indian city, 15 pregnant women prepare for sleep in the spacious house they share, ascending the stairs in a procession of ballooned bellies, to bedrooms that become a landscape of soft hills. A team of maids, cooks and doctors looks after the women, whose pregnancies would be unusual anywhere else but are common here. The young mothers of Anand, a place famous for its milk, are pregnant with the children of infertile couples from around the world. The small clinic at Kaival Hospital matches infertile couples with local women, cares for...

In the maelstrom surrounding the news of 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears’s public pregnancy, everyone seems to be searching for a lesson. Nickelodeon – the children’s network that produces Spears’s popular television show “Zoey 101” – applauded Spears’s decision to “take responsibility,” presumably because she decided to have and raise the child. Those who are against abstinence-only education cite this young girl’s pregnancy as proof of its defects. Others say Spears’s unexpected situation proves that American young people are on a moral downward spiral.

Presidential candidate John Edwards is caught up in a love child scandal, a blockbuster ENQUIRER investigation has discovered. The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively that Rielle Hunter, a woman linked to Edwards in a cheating scandal earlier this year, is more than six months pregnant — and she's told a close confidante that Edwards is the father of her baby! The ENQUIRER's political bombshell comes just weeks after Edwards emphatically denied having an affair with Rielle, who formerly worked on his campaign and told another close pal that she was romantically involved with the married ex-senator. The ENQUIRER has now confirmed...

Richmond, VA (LifeNews.com) -- Women who have one or more abortions face a drastically increased risk of giving birth to a pre-term or low birthweight baby in a subsequent pregnancy. That's the conclusion a team of scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University drew in a new report published in the latest issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

WHEN Jena Slosberg of Bedford, N.H., gave birth in March, she endured a labor that lasted 17 hours. But her discomfort was ultimately worth it, quite apart from the arrival of her daughter, Marin. In the recovery room, her husband, Paul, presented her with a pair of diamond earrings. “I was on cloud nine,” Ms. Slosberg said. “It was the perfect present to make a frazzled, sleep-deprived, first-time mommy feel absolutely glamorous.” She added, “I wonder what 17 hours of labor will get me next time?” ...In a more innocent age, new mothers generally considered their babies to be the...

by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorOctober 2, 2007Seattle, WA (LifeNews.com) -- Researchers at a cancer center in Seattle have confirmed what previous studies have shown: women who bear children have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer. They say fetal cells “transplanted” to the mother before birth are a source of this protective effect. That's something that abortion denies.Scientists at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center presented their results in the October 1 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.They studied a concept called fetal microchimerism, which is the ability of cells...

NEW YORK, November 22, 2007 (C-FAM.ORG)- At a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) lecture at the UN on Tuesday, Dr. Gertrude Mongella, president of the Pan-African Parliament and former top UN official, praised UNFPA’s controversial promotion of “reproductive rights,” a term used by some UN committees to mean abortion, as a way to reduce the tragedy of maternal mortality even while admitting that the policy has failed to help women. Mongella, a former UN under-secretary and special envoy on women’s issues and development, reported that the number of women dying from maternal causes in Africa had remained virtually unchanged from...

Canadians Advocate Boosting Vitamin D in PregnancyA Canadian medical society recommends pregnant women and nursing moms boost their intake of vitamin D dramatically Janet Raloff Canadian pediatricians certainly aren't shirking controversy when it comes to a vitamin guideline they've developed for pregnant women and nursing moms. They're asking these women to boost their intake of vitamin D dramatically—to 10 times the daily doses advocated by most health organizations in the States. This new prescription is aimed at combating rickets—leg deformations caused by soft bones—in youngsters who get too little of the sunshine vitamin. EATING FOR TWO. To ensure baby's bones...

It is a national trend, one that doesnÂ’t seem to be abating, despite attempts at education, teaching abstinence, birth control, or even abortion. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, of the 1,626 live births in Tom Green County in 2003, 636, or 39.2 percent, were to unwed mothers. That is five percent over the State of Texas average of 34.2 percent. Eighty-four teenagers giving birth are included in that number, and 308 of the mothers, or 19 percent, had late or no prenatal care. The problem does not appear to be abating. The 2006-2007 school year saw...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - More than a fourth of pregnant women in West Virginia smoked last year, putting themselves and their babies at risk. The state's 27.3 percent maternal smoking rate was the highest rate in the country and nearly triple the national average, according to a recent report from the state Department of Health and Human Resource's Health Statistics Center. The state's rate was up slightly over the previous year and has hovered around 25 percent the past 10 years. McDowell County had the highest rate of pregnant smokers, at more than 42 percent, the report said. The lowest rate,...

by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorOctober 8, 2007Des Moines, IA (LifeNews.com) -- Campaigning in Iowa over the weekend, pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama attempted to moderate his views on abortion and abstinence education. However, he made it clear he has no interest in limiting or reducing abortions and his pro-abstinence stance is tempered by his backing of sexual education.Speaking in the northeast town of New Hampton late Friday, Obama responded to a question in a forum from a Denver resident in the first primary state for a family reunion.The questioner asked Obama to reconcile how society gets upset at someone like Michael...

When's the last time your local Christian youth group stoned somebody to death? Hollywood likes to claim their programming simply reflects reality, but the latest episode of Cold Case was an exercise in bigoted, Christophobic fantasy. In the September 30 episode of the CBS forensics show, the devoutly religious teens in an abstinence club turn out to be sexually active hypocrites who murder one of their own members - by stoning her, as the Bible teaches - to keep their sins secret. Their youth pastor encourages one girl to describe her impure dreams to him, and masturbates while listening. In...

U.S. Catholic Health Association Giving Flawed Advice on Morning After Pill to Catholic Hospitals Commentary republished with permission by Matt Bowman of Alliance Defense FundExcerpted from http://www.constitutionallycorrect.com/archive/2007/10/03/553.aspx WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Connecticut Catholic hospitals' spokesman Barry Feldman, in statements discussing the new policy allowing emergency contraception for rape victims even though embryos might not implant as a result, listed the Catholic Health Association as support for the new policy. The position of the Catholic Health Association on "emergency contraception" is well known and seriously flawed.  It basically presents "emergency contraception" as permissible even after a positive ovulation...

Pope Congratulates Nicaraguan Government for Maintaining Prohibition of Abortion By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman ITALY, September 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a meeting with Nicaragua's new ambassador to the Holy See at Castlegandolfo yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI congratulated the Nicaraguan government for maintaining the country's absolute prohibition of abortions in the face of heavy international pressure. The pontiff expressed his "recognition to Nicaragua for its position in international forums on social topics, especially the respect for life in the face of not insignificant internal and international pressures." The pope was referring to Nicaragua's decision to impose criminal sanctions on all abortions...

by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorSeptember 21, 2007 Boyntown Beach, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Police in southern Florida have arrested a public school teacher who is accused of having sex with two of his students and using an abortion to cover up his actions. Santaluces High School drama teacher Andrew Foster, 29, allegedly started having sex with the students last year and got one of them pregnant. Foster was arrested yesterday in Collier County by the U.S. Marshals South Florida Fugitive Task Force.The teacher had been on the lam for about two weeks until authorities located him at a hotel in Immokalee. After...

Lesbian Couple Sue IVF Doctor for Cost of Raising Twin Couple wanted only one child and find they are "overwhelmed" raising two children By Meg Jalsevac AUSTRALIA, September 20, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A lesbian couple in Australia have taken the first 'wrongful birth' lawsuit in Australian legislative history to court. The two women, who have three year old twin daughters, are suing Canberra obstetrician, Robert Armellin, for 'wrongful birth' after he supervised the implantation of two embryos instead of one into the birth mother during the in-vitro fertilization procedure. The women, who cannot be named because of a court order,...

Argentine Legislators Seek to Establish Abortion as Protected "Right" Constitution prohibits all abortions but penal code does not punish abortions for rape, health or life of mother By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman ARGENTINA, September 18, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Hearings were conducted yesterday in the Argentine Congress on several measures that would protect the practice of abortion in a broad number of cases, including the "health" or life of the mother, fetal deformities, and pregnancies caused by rape. The Penal Legislation Commission of the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of the Congress), heard testimony from four legal experts yesterday, two pro-abortion...

New Jersey Supreme Court: Doctors Not Required to say Abortion Kills a Child By Hilary White TRENTON, New Jersey, September 13, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Doctors in New Jersey are not required to inform women seeking abortion, that it will "kill not just a potential life, but an actual existing human being", the state's highest court ruled unanimously yesterday. The case was important to the ongoing attempts to install legal protections to the unborn in the US. For decades the arguments of the abortion lobby has been that a child in the womb is not fully a human being, but only...

Most pregnant women know they can hurt their babies by smoking, drinking alcohol and taking drugs that can cause birth defects. But they also may be able to "program" the baby in the womb to be a healthier adult. New research suggests that mothers-to-be can reduce the risk that their babies will develop obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes by monitoring their own diet, exercise and weight.

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Pregnant women are to receive a grant from the Government in a bid to encourage them to eat better and improve the health prospects of their unborn child. The "Health in Pregnancy Grant" will be announced by Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, in a speech later this week in which he will also outline plans to reduce health inequalities between the richest and the poorest in England and Wales. Women in their 29th week of pregnancy will be given a one-off payment of as much as £200 along with professional health advice on maintaining a balanced diet. The scheme will...

British Parliamentarians to Push for End to Current Limited Abortion Restrictions Want to allow nurses and midwives to kill unborn children By Hilary White LONDON, September 4, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A group of pro-abortion British MP's from all parties in government will be launching a campaign to sweep away the last formal restrictions on abortion and make it available on demand. They want to allow nurses and midwives to kill unborn children and recommend increasing the number of facilities allowed to abort babies in the first trimester of pregnancy. The Independent reports that the move is planned by a cross-party...

by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorAugust 31, 2007Wellington, New Zealand (LifeNews.com) -- The leading pro-life group in New Zealand is calling on that nation's parliament to draft legislation to make it illegal for people or groups to pressure or coerce a woman into having an abortion. The measure is similar to legislation some states in the United States have considered.Right to Life New Zealand cites the bill the Michigan legislature approved as evidence that this kind of legislation is not without precedent.The group says it is "trying to establish procedures to make sure that a woman is not intimidated into an abortion...