New York Mayor Bloomberg’s latest campaign about the effects of teen pregnancy is hitting a nerve; especially with MSNBC anchor Melissa Harris-Perry. She address what she called the shaming of teen mothers in the Bloomberg campaign ads; ads paid for with money from the city. The ads show photos of young toddlers alongside captions that some believe are shaming teen parents. In one ad, a cute little toddler is shown with a tear stained face with text that reads: “I’m twice as likely not to graduate high school because you had me as a teen.”
Other ads include, “If you finish high school, get a job, and get married before having children, you have a 98% chance of not being in poverty,” and “Honestly Mom…chances are he won’t stay with you. What happens to me?” While both of these ads might carry a message that is a bit harsh to some, if the information is correct is Bloomberg wrong for exposing the facts in order to deter teens from engaging in sexual activity?
Initially, the ads seem to target single mothers solely. While both boys and girls can and do become teen parents, it can be argued that most of the focus is on teen mothers. Shows like MTV’s ‘Teen Mom’ showcase the lives of four teen couples (or more commonly, one-time couples) raising a child. While some critics have accused MTV of glorifying teen pregnancy with a show, others (myself included) see the hardships these kids face on a routine basis as a way to teach young people to forgo having a child until one is truly ready (financially, emotionally, etc). On the show, one girl’s boyfriend died before the birth of their daughter, one couple gave their child up for adoption and one girl is struggling with addiction and mental health so the father is raising their daughter pretty much solo. If any of that sounds like glorification, I fail to see it.
In the Bloomberg ads, teen fathers don’t escape the shaming. On ad reads, “Dad, you’ll be paying to support me for the next 20 years.” Still, critics of campaign in New York say that teen mothers are disproportionately targeted for societal issues that are multi-faceted. Of the statistics that appeared as text in the ads, Melissa Harris-Perry of MSNBC said, “That is the kind of misleading statistic that might lead some people to, you know, blame young mothers for America’s deepening poverty crisis rather than putting the blame where it belongs, on a financial system that concentrates wealth at the top and public policies that entrench it there.”
At The Push Back, a blogger who happens to be a teen mother challenged the ads, saying: “Teen pregnancy prevention campaigns DO NOT have to be at the expense of a teen mom’s dignity. It doesn’t work, it isn’t fair, and it’s only perpetuating a stigma that further increases the isolation of young parents who need support,” and “It’s this very concept of shaming teen moms that drives us into a deeper hole of isolation.”
Teen pregnancy isn’t something that affects and afflicts girls only. What about the fathers? What about the parents of the teens? What about the school system? When is it appropriate to stop laying blame largely on girls and start a comprehensive program of education that is geared toward girls and boys? How can parents be more involved in their children’s lives in order to help prevent teen pregnancy? And finally, how can we better educate society about the downfalls of teen pregnancy without the focusing element being shame?
