I know, those public service announcements can be
I know, those public service announcements can be very one-sided and closed-minded in their argument, but you have to also consider the other side of things. You got lucky, having a good experience as a teen mother, but lots of other young women do inadvertently ruin their lives, not because of the pregnancy and the resulting baby, but because of the measures some of these girls have to take to be able to afford the baby's care and basic needs. While some teen mothers have very supportive families and friends who help them with babysitting, financial issues, and housing, other pregnant teens are kicked out of their homes and left to fend for themselves and their babies. Since many of these young women lack life and job experience due to their young age, some of them turn to dangerous ways to support themselves, such as prostitution and drug dealing. I am certainly not saying ALL teen mothers do this (I have actually known some highly competent, mature teen mothers, as I'm sure you are), but it does unfortunately happen that some women get very overwhelmed by the demands of motherhood and having to support themselves and their babies, and they do end up "ruining" their lives by the subsequent choices they make. I do agree, however, that it was in poor taste for the public-service announcement sponsors to imply that teen pregnancy "ruins" lives. I haven't personally seen the ads, but they do sound rather insensitive and judgmental.
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