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| US fears of teen 'pregnancy pact' | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Officials in the US state of Massachusetts are investigating how 17 teenage girls from the same school have become pregnant. | Officials in the US state of Massachusetts are investigating how 17 teenage girls from the same school have become pregnant. |
| The number is four times as high as the year before at Gloucester High School. | The number is four times as high as the year before at Gloucester High School. |
| There are reports that some of the girls - none of whom is older than 16 - entered into a pact to have their babies together. | There are reports that some of the girls - none of whom is older than 16 - entered into a pact to have their babies together. |
| The girls and their families have so far made no comment. Officials are also investigating the ages of the fathers. | The girls and their families have so far made no comment. Officials are also investigating the ages of the fathers. |
| Some are believed to be in their twenties and could face the possibility of being charged with having sex with minors. | Some are believed to be in their twenties and could face the possibility of being charged with having sex with minors. |
| It is illegal to have sex with anyone younger than 16 in Massachusetts. | It is illegal to have sex with anyone younger than 16 in Massachusetts. |
| Disturbing | Disturbing |
| Some of the school's own staff believe the sharp increase in the number of pregnancies was no accident. | Some of the school's own staff believe the sharp increase in the number of pregnancies was no accident. |
| Don't try to get pregnant - people say they know what it's like but they really have no idea Amanda IrelandGloucester teenage mother | |
| "Some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Gloucester High School principal Joseph Sullivan told Time magazine. | "Some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Gloucester High School principal Joseph Sullivan told Time magazine. |
| Local officials say that nearly half of the girls had entered into a bizarre pact to have their babies together. | Local officials say that nearly half of the girls had entered into a bizarre pact to have their babies together. |
| Dr Elizabeth Guthrie, a paediatric psychiatrist at New York's Columbia University, told the BBC that some girls might be viewing pregnancy as a fast-track to adulthood and independence. | Dr Elizabeth Guthrie, a paediatric psychiatrist at New York's Columbia University, told the BBC that some girls might be viewing pregnancy as a fast-track to adulthood and independence. |
| "It may give you an opportunity for unconditional love and attention from the baby," she said. | "It may give you an opportunity for unconditional love and attention from the baby," she said. |
| Local teenager Amanda Ireland, a mother who has just graduated from Gloucester High School, offered a blunt warning to other girls. | Local teenager Amanda Ireland, a mother who has just graduated from Gloucester High School, offered a blunt warning to other girls. |
| "Don't try to get pregnant. People say they know what it's like because they have younger siblings, but they really have no idea," she told the BBC. | "Don't try to get pregnant. People say they know what it's like because they have younger siblings, but they really have no idea," she told the BBC. |
| David Landry, a researcher at the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based non-profit group focusing on reproductive issues, said the declining teenage pregnancy rate of recent years appeared to be reversing. | David Landry, a researcher at the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based non-profit group focusing on reproductive issues, said the declining teenage pregnancy rate of recent years appeared to be reversing. |
| Birth rates for girls aged 15 to 17 rose by 3% in 2006, the first increase since 1991, according to preliminary data released in December by the National Center for Health Statistics. | Birth rates for girls aged 15 to 17 rose by 3% in 2006, the first increase since 1991, according to preliminary data released in December by the National Center for Health Statistics. |
| This trend was highlighted on Thursday when Britney Spears' 17-year-old sister Jamie Lynn, star of a popular television show Zoey 101, gave birth to a baby girl, according to People magazine. | This trend was highlighted on Thursday when Britney Spears' 17-year-old sister Jamie Lynn, star of a popular television show Zoey 101, gave birth to a baby girl, according to People magazine. |
| But Mr Landry cautioned against attributing the pact or the worrying statistics to Hollywood. Recent hits have included Juno, in which a teenager gets pregnant and decides to have the baby, and Knocked Up, a comedy about a one-night stand. | But Mr Landry cautioned against attributing the pact or the worrying statistics to Hollywood. Recent hits have included Juno, in which a teenager gets pregnant and decides to have the baby, and Knocked Up, a comedy about a one-night stand. |
| "The trend emerged before those movies," he said. | "The trend emerged before those movies," he said. |