Gloucester, MA – Last week, in “Senator Obama, Meet Gloucester High School” we wrote about the 17 pregnancies in this school of 1200. We said Gloucester officials and the media are debating the wrong points. This week, Gloucester officials’ and some teens claimed there was no pact. They miss the point. Pact or no pact, Gloucester illustrates the widespread attitude that it is acceptable to produce babies who will most likely end up fatherless. On Tuesday’s (6/24) Good Morning America (ABC TV), one of the pregnant Gloucester teens – 17 year old Lindsey Oliver – appeared with her boyfriend, 20 year-old Andrew Psalidas. The expecting parents appeared to take their looming parenthood far more seriously than host Chris Cuomo. But first, in the introductory report, ABC gave more evidence of what we called last week a “sad adolescent fantasy.” Other Gloucester teen moms, “Believe some of the younger girls intentionally became pregnant, thinking it would be fun to raise their babies together,” and the teens, “tell us having a baby gave them a purpose in life.” A 16 year old mom stated,
“They see all of the older girls doing it.” Expectant mom Oliver told Cuomo, “There was definitely no pact.” Cuomo then pointed out the pregnancies were four times the normal rate but let her off the hook, turning to expectant father Psalidas for an answer, who opined that girls were “getting unlucky.” Unlike some of the other Gloucester teens, Psalidas stated the couple did not plan to get pregnant; Oliver was on birth control and “was careful” because, “Obviously at 17 or 20 you’re not ready to have a kid.” But now they’re “Trying hard to get ready.” Expectant mom Oliver was asked whether the movie Juno promoted teen pregnancy. “Definitely not,” pointing out that the movie’s lead character, “couldn’t even take care of the baby.” Sounds like the young couple is sobering up to their new reality. Psalidas, who works and attends school full time, said, “We’re trying to do everything we can to make it right for the mistake that we made.” This young man my be committed, but the sad statistical reality is he is unlikely in 5 years to be involved in the child’s life, whether by his or her choice. Cuomo, however, wasn’t finished glorifying the pregnancy. “Yes, you’re young… you’re going to have to struggle a little bit here to make this work. What’s it been like going through all this drama surrounding it, making it seem like a bad thing, the pact?” Cuomo is not your everyday TV anchor. He’s the youngest son of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo and the younger brother of New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo closed the interview with, “One person says a mistake, another says a blessing.” You can view the interview here.
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