News that 17 girls at a Massachusetts high school became pregnant this year is raising questions about whether pregnancy has become alluring to teens. Some say teens’ understanding of pregnancy and parenthood may be skewed by real-life celebrity pregnancies as well as some recent fictional movies . Barely a week goes by without some kind of celebrity baby coverage - speculation about “baby bumps”; coverage of swanky celebrity baby showers; and of course, loving pictures of the babies themselves, often with their adoring, perfectly styled moms. After the release of “Juno,” an Oscarwinning 2007 movie about a regular high school student who becomes pregnant, Weston received lots of letters from teens who wanted to have babies, she said. Ask your kids what they thinks about “Juno” and Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy, says Bill Albert, spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Then you can get a sense of what she is missing - love, attention, career goals - says Ellen deLara, assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Syracuse. read more

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