The American Spectator : Reel Life

Text Size

Reel Life

By Pia de Solenni on 1.11.08 @ 12:03AM

Young, unmarried, pregnant? As two recent movies point out, it's not the end of the world.

(Page 2 of 2)

While the teens don't appear to understand that sex may be something worth waiting for, they do understand that sex involves pregnancy. One student explains that Jamie Lynn will need to take time away from her television show, "You need time to figure your stuff out." "And you're going to have to take care of a human being."

Abortion is still a common procedure in this country and much must be done to make abortion not only illegal, but unthinkable and undesirable. But in some ways, it seems like more progress has been made in the area of abortion than the area of sex and marriage.

A pregnant professional can keep her job even when the pregnancy is discovered. A pregnant high school girl continues attending her high school and isn't shuttered away at a distant relative's or in an abortion doctor's office. In part, both of these things are possible because single moms are no longer stigmatized as before. Sex outside of marriage is generally accepted, tolerated, and even celebrated.

While actions or behaviors that result in unmarried parents may not be laudable for social conservatives, it's important to recall that social conservatives were the first to admit that sex and pregnancy are part of life even if people aren't married. It was the abortion lobby that wanted to deny that and further implicated women by suggesting that they have abortions in these unseemly situations. In the end, it seems that social conservatives have been the most realistic about sex.

If that realism continues, we may even reach the point where the culture as a whole sees marriage as the best context for sex, as both movies suggest. Nonetheless, sex will still happen outside of marriage; but only by being as realistic as possible can we avoid regressing to a pseudo Victorian era that would have no place for unmarried mothers.

Sex happens, babies are conceived, life goes on. After all, it's been happening for thousands of years.

Page: < 12

topics:
Television, Abortion, Hollywood, Movies

Letter to the Editor View all comments (3) | Leave a comment

JessicaAPISS| 1.31.09 @ 11:45AM

YES! I love this piece! Dr. de Solenni's words, as usual, present a modern, realistic approach to the pro-life culture and proof that anti-abortion sentiment is prominent in the younger generations in this country.

The increase in pre-natal technology (my five year old knows how to coo over the ten week ultrasounds that my newly pregnant girlfriends bring over), combined with the lack of stigma towards unwed pregnancy is speaking to our culture. And this culture is speaking to women like me - progressive, liberal feminists that are quietly pro-life. There are more of us than you think and we're learning to use our voice.

And even if we're not at the pro-life rally, we're hosting showers for single pregnant friends, babysitting their babies, celebrating and supporting surprise pregnancies and connecting them with other friends of ours for open adoptions. Bella, Juno and Knocked Up all portray pregnancy realistically. Life and love and babies are all messy and complicated but at the core beautiful.