It all started with Jamie Lynn Spears, didn’t it? Back in 2007 Jamie Lynn was the good Spears sibling with a sterling reputation and hit Nickelodeon show. Then with an interview in O.K. Magazine it was revealed that little Jamie Lynn was expecting (coincidentally, after she saw Knocked Up). Bye bye Nickelodeon show, so long sterling reputation, hello teen pregnancy epidemic.
The truth is that Jamie Lynn was just part of a growing trend. After 15 years of steady decline, the teen pregnancy rate spiked 5% between 2005 and 2007. Today, 3 out of 10 girls in the United States are pregnant before age 20.
As maternity wards became filled with teen mothers, TVs and movies began featuring pregnant teens with more frequency.
From Juno to Glee, it seems like pregnant teens are everywhere.
