Title: A teenage Mother, Wiser, Speaks up
In 2007 Allison Banegas,15, found out she was pregnant. Allison told her mother, all she saw was disappointment and anguish in her moms reaction. Allison felt alone, and felt like she was alone, with no one. She was later invited to join a discussion group with other pregnant students. Many of the girls were hispanic, who sais that their parents became pregnant at a very young age also. In the group Young Parents Program is where the girls can find support, counceling, and pre- and postnatal care and education. The program is run by Greenwich-based family Centers, a nonprofile organization financed by city and state grants and donations. The coordinator, Andrea Payo says that in the program 56 percent are African-American, 41 percent are Hispanic, and 3 percent are white.
Reflection-
While reading this, i felt like Allison didn't see her pregnancy as ruining her life, but just changing it. When she joined Young Parent Program, she didn't feel alone, there were other girls feeling the exact same way as her. She also said that when other adults saw her with a big belly, they said hurtful things like, "if i was your mother i would have kicked you out on the street." I feel like thats just wierd that there are adults that would say that, someone is Allisons positions needs someone to be on her side, help her, and support her, not tell her that she should be on the streets.
Evidence-
*“Oh, God. You had a future. College. I thought maybe you’d be a lawyer or something. You have to say goodbye to all that.”
*“We talked about how scared we were. Some girls were really upset that their boyfriends were still out having fun. And we didn’t know the first thing about taking care of babies.”
*This was Allison’s position: “I’m pro-life. I never considered abortion for a second.”
*“Some girls think it’s cool to have a baby. I want them thinking straight,” she said. “I want them to really know the consequences from somebody who’s living with it every day.”
*“Get up with my alarm clock — the baby. Feed her and get her things ready to go to baby-sitting. Take her there with my mom — I wasn’t old enough for a learner’s permit so I couldn’t drive her myself. Then I’d go to school. Come home at 3 just dying for a nap but having to do my homework before we pick the baby up at 5. Give her dinner, get her to bed. And work at Dunkin’ Donuts till midnight to be able to get the things I need for the baby and pay the baby sitter. Then get up and do it again.”
Questions-
How would her life be different if she had never got pregnant?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03colct.html?pagewanted=2
