The entertainment and media industry has responded to the news of Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy by halting some projects but spurring others as they consider how to best respond to those affected by the news.
In the latest edition of OK! Magazine, which hit newsstands nationwide on Friday, the 16-year-old younger sister of pop artist Britney Spears revealed that she was “shocked and scared” when she found out she was three months pregnant and her long-time boyfriend Casey Aldridge was the father. Spears intends to raise her child in her home state of Louisiana.
Calling it a double-edged sword in the Christian community, Bill Maier, vice president of the conservative ministry Focus on the Family, hailed Spear’s decision to keep the baby but did not excuse teen sex.
"We should commend girls like Jamie Lynn Spears for making a courageous decision to have the baby. On the other hand, there's nothing glamorous or fun about being an unwed teen mother,” Maier told The Associated Press.
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, said Spears’ choice was a “mature response,” noting the young teen star pretty much admitted to making some wrong choices but is acting responsibly as she faces the consequences.
Nickelodeon, which airs Spears’ show “Zoey 101,” has responded to the news by issuing a statement of support and is considering a special for its young audience about teen pregnancy in which topics on sex and love would be discussed. The popular show, which stars Spears as an innocent teen, is aimed primarily at youngsters aged 9-14. The television network has made no announcement about the future of "Zoey 101."
“We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation. We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family, and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well-being," read a statement by Nickelodeon.
The television network confirmed that it is talking with Linda Ellerbee, who has done specials on talking with children about difficult issues in the news such as same-sex parents, AIDS, the Columbine shooting and President Clinton's impeachment scandal.
"I think it's important that something be done," Ellerbee told The Associated Press on Thursday. "But I think it's important that it be done in a measured way, and not just to feed the beast of news stories.”
Meanwhile, Thomas Nelson, which publishes Bibles and inspirational books, said Wednesday it has suspended publishing a parenting book by Lynn Spears, mother of Jamie Lynn.
"We have postponed the book indefinitely," said Lindsey Nobles, spokeswoman for Tennessee-based Christian publisher, in a Reuters report Wednesday.
The book, which was scheduled to be released on Mother’s Day next year, had the working title, Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World. Publishers' Weekly described the book as "Lynne Spears' personal story of raising high-profile children while coming from a low-profile Louisiana community."
A spokeswoman said Tuesday the book was not cancelled but simply delayed, according to People Magazine.
"We are standing behind Lynne at this time and understand that she needs time with her family,” the spokeswoman said.
A speculation over whether 19-year-old Aldridge would face charges of statutory rape has also arisen. The criminal charges he could face depend on the state where the conception took place.
But Aldridge has indicated plans to settle down with Spears. The Rev. Odus Jackson, Aldridge's uncle, told the New York Post that the young couple wants get married. The two reportedly met at church.
"Jamie Lynn and Casey want to get married. I know Casey does, and he says she does, too," said Jackson.
Aldridge’s grandfather expressed disappointment in his grandson but hopes the two will get married.
"He should make an honest woman of her and make it all above board by getting married,” Aldridge’s 71-year-old granddad told The Sun. "Casey was raised in the church. This breaks my heart."
The news comes amid a national debate over teaching abstinence in schools. A December report revealed teen birthrates rose 3 percent last year following a 14-year decline.
But the National Abstinence Education Association said the Center for Disease Control report carried a political agenda to undermine abstinence education programs.
Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, director of Concerned Women for America’s Beverly LaHaye Institute, was quick to point out that the birth rate for 15-17-year-olds declined in 2005 and that the overall birthrate for 10-14-year-olds declined in 2006. She also noted that these are the age groups targeted by abstinence education programs.
A few days before news of Spears’ pregnancy surfaced, the Bush administration had renewed funding for abstinence-only education.
Jessica Sheets of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy felt Spears’ “good-girl image” would help the message about teen pregnancy resonate among young people.
"It's interesting to note that Jamie Lynn has a good-girl image," said Sheets, according to The Washington Post. "It's a message that girls should be getting."
"I definitely don't think [premarital sex is] something you should do; it's better to wait," Spears told OK! "But I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."
The Campaign has reported that one in seven girls has sex before she is 15 and 60 percent of teen girls who have sex say later they wish they'd waited.
Christian Post reporter Nathan Black contributed to this report.
Comments
The latest scuttlebutt is that Casey is not the father, but an adult member of "Zoey 101" is.
rubin, my only point was, it seemed that many posters here were blaming lack of bc or not knowing how to use it on Spears' pregnancy. Personally, I can't possibly believe she and her boyfriend did not have knowledge of either. That's all.
maranatha7593 Ur post:
"'m sure that Spears and her boyfriend had b/c available to them and knew how to use it."
dude, what is your point?
AND
1. how do you know they knew how to use it?
2. How is it really anyones business anyway?
3. The use of BC is an individual choice, and as American's, we have the right & freedom to use BC. Are you suggesting it should be outlawed?
I'm sure that Spears and her boyfriend had b/c available to them and knew how to use it.
maranatha7593 "I'm sure that Spears and her boyfriend had b/c available to them."
well the thing about BC, if you want to prevent pregnancy, you have to use it properly.
I'm sure that Spears and her boyfriend had b/c available to them.
jester "Therein lies the problem with a majority of unwanted pregnancies. Why practice self-control...theyre too lazy to. And they can afford to be lazy as long as birth control is always an option."
what? doesn't make any sense, what are you saying?
"My wife and I, we don't have self-control, so we count on birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancy." Therein lies the problem with a majority of unwanted pregnancies. Why practice self-control...theyre too lazy to. And they can afford to be lazy as long as birth control is always an option.
Slacker: your post
"What ever happened to self control, responsibility and marriage, oh yeah sciences disproved those with the fossil record..."
in reference to birth control. My wife and I, we don't have self-control, so we count on birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
.
Its great if you are against BC. I and millions believe its one of mans greatest inventions to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The problem I have with religeous groups that oppose BC, is they attempt to impose their beliefs on others. I say mind your own business.
It's too bad you are so anti-science (reference to your comment "oh yeah sciences disproved those with the fossil record..." )
In the time of Mary and Joseph, women got married and had kids at around 14. Abstaining until marriage until you get married--when you may not get maried until after age 30--is a tall order.
Many people talk about the failure rate of birth control, but few talk about the high failure rate of abstinence. 100% effective? Hardly! Many teens have entered into relationships FULLY INTENDING to be abstinent, only to have their will power fail. There must be a backup plan.
As for JLS, I don't see why this is any bigger news than when Keisha Castle-Hughes ("Whale Rider") became pregnant last year at the same age. Only because she's you-know-who's sister. Britney, by the way, was one the poster girl for abstinence. Look how that turned out.
"The problem with most religions, is that they want to make sex into something that is dirty and wrong"
Which religion, the bible says that procreating is not dirty or wrong, but it does say it is supposed to be within the bounds of marriage. Between one man and one woman, because God brings us together to make one.
"One of mans greatest inventions is birth control- sex without having to worry about pregnancy"
What ever happened to self control, responsibility and marriage, oh yeah sciences disproved those with the fossil record...
Sex is a strong, natural force that the animal kingdom, including the human animal, have trouble saying no to. This is the reason the planet is over run with the human animal. Without the chemical hormones delivered to the brain to create the impulse to have sexual intercourse, there wouldn't human over population. To have sex, is about biology- to satisfy a natural desire and to produce offspring. Most animals do not have the will to say no. The problem with most religions, is that they want to make sex into something that is dirty and wrong- it is neither. One of mans greatest inventions is birth control- sex without having to worry about pregnancy.
Abstinence is the only way to go. We do what the bible says we should do and let all those who don't believe in it do what they please. Furthermore, we should not allow a secular system to usurp our parental responsibilities and to teach our children morality. Christian parents must not abrogate their God-given right to "bring up a child in the way he should go...." and hand children over to atheists and non-Christians. There is just too much at stake here - our children's eternal destiny!
Merry Christmas everyone.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Telling your kids not to have sex and then buying them birth control and condoms is like telling them not to fight and buying them a pair of boxing gloves. However, I do agree with the earlier poster in regard to wasting our taxpayer money on videos about the evils of premarital sex. It's not the school system's job or responsibility to train our children in the way they should go, it's ours. It doesn't cost a dime for me to teach my kids morality and Biblical principle. If I have to pay somebody else to do that, I've failed as a parent as far as I'm concerned.