Promote Teenage Pregnancy

When it comes to the topic of, "Do Shows Like "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom” Promote or Discourage Teenage Pregnancy", most of us will readily agree that these shows do promote teenage pregnancy, where this argument usually ends, however, is on the question of how do these shows promote teenage pregnancy. Whereas most of us are convinced that they promote teenage pregnancy by bringing fame to these once ordinary teenagers, others maintain that these shows discourage teenage pregnancy by showing the harsh realities of what being a teenage parent is all about. However, in reality, from any angle you look at this controversial topic you will see that these shows do both. On one hand, yes, they do promote teenage pregnancy, but on the other, …show more content…
According to Nicole Martins, she went around and surveyed 185 high school students who watch these shows, and her results showed that heavy viewers of these shows had perceived an unrealistic perception of what being a teen parent is all about. (Martins 1) In other words, many young teens do not comprehend the realities of what being a teen parent is all about. They watch these shows and view the cast members as having a lot of time to themselves, which further can lead them to think that if the roles were reversed that they too would have time to themselves. With all this extra time one could think that they would be able to finish high school without any dilemmas, and possibly even further their education, as well as work. One could also think that if they would be able to accomplish all of these tasks, what would be so hard about being a teen parent. Continuing with this same state of mind, as viewing these shows as promoting teenage pregnancy, backing this argument a second time could be the article, “MTV’s ‘Teen Mom’ Glamorizes Getting Pregnant” written by Melissa Henson. According to Henson, MTV producers are focusing on the cast members’ new tattoos, new cars and houses, and their hostile relationships. (Henson 1) Basically what Henson is saying is that, while producers and everyone else involved went into the making of these …show more content…
One cannot blame their pregnancy or their lack of pregnancy on these shows. According to a recent article, “Does 16 and Pregnant Prevent or Promote Teen Pregnancy?” written by Eliana Dockterman, she points out that we cannot blame violent behavior on violent video games, and that we cannot blame teens becoming pregnant on these shows. (Dockterman1) Basically what she is saying is that even though there has been multiple studies proving these shows as promoting and discouraging teenage pregnancy, there are obviously flaws in them, because both cannot be fully