G LOUCESTER - More than a month after a Time magazine report about an alleged pregnancy pact thrust this seaside city into the worldwide spotlight, Gloucester school officials last night turned to a host of teen pregnancy experts for help on the issue. Karen Hacker of the Institute for Community Health in Cambridge made a presentation that included the benefits - and risks - of contraception, including birth control pills, the birth control patch and other methods. Contraceptives have never been available to students at Gloucester High School - an issue that sparked debate this year - but a federally funded health center is opening soon near the school. Patricia Quinn of the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy, said teens who are already sexually active need access to confidential contraception, and there’s no evidence that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs work. Last month, in an article quoting Gloucester High principal Joseph Sullivan, Time reported that some of Gloucester’s 17 pregnant teenagers had made a pact to get pregnant. read more

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