The “good girl” of the family, Jamie Lynn Spears has officially announced that she is 3 months pregnant. With the news of the sixteen-year-old’s pregnancy comes much controversy. Shadow and I were chatting about it on MSN and this post sort of spawned.

The post is REALLY long; you have been warned:

THE FACTS
Jamie Lynn Spears. 16 years old. Younger sister of Britney Spears. Pregnant with her 18/19 (his age is disputed) year old non-famous boyfriend, Casey Aldridge.

TEEN SEX AND THE CONSENSUAL RAPE DEBATE
When rape (one person forcing another to have sex) was defined, 18 became the age of legality. According to science people, up until that age the human brain is not fully able to make an informed decision so “consensual” (they both agreed to do it) does not make a difference. If you were 18 or older, you were an adult. If you were younger, you were a child. Thus, if an adult had sex with a child, it was rape. However, no “what-ifs” were considered. For example: what if the two in question are very close in age and where, then, is the line drawn?

This began becoming an issue more recently as teen sex began to rise and parents (and spectators) began to look to government to regulate the growing problem. I’ve heard cases where parents did not approve of boyfriends and, when the boyfriend turned eighteen, pressed charges against him even though the sexual relationship had been going since beforehand and the daughter in question was seventeen. (I’ve also heard of girlfriends claiming rape later on, knowing the law, after a fight with the boyfriend even though the sex was consensual).

In some states, laws have been passed to clarify this issue. For example, in some there is a two year rule. It is rape unless the two people are within two years of each other. For some, it is rape no matter what but the distance in age determines the severity of the crime. For example, it is a felony if the age difference is more than two years but a misdemeanor if they are within those two years. (In some places, it is considered rape even if both are under eighteen). Or, as Shadow points out, the girl could be the older and the guy the younger.

And the consequences? For having sex with your boyfriend or girlfriend while underage, you could be put in jail and have to register as a sex offender, forever stigmatizing you with that “child molester” label and all of the rules, regulations, and suspicion that come with it.

Depending on Aldridge’s age (reporters are unsure of whether he is 18 or 19), the couple could be in or out of that two year span easily. However, needless to say, charges won’t be pressed for obvious stardom reasons.

But, with this issue on the cover of tabloids and in the media, the question will be raised once more. Should kids be allowed to have sex? Are they old enough to make that decision on their own? Should it be against the law and considered rape?

TEENAGE PREGNANCY: TO KEEP OR NOT TO KEEP?
When a teen gets pregnant, after all of the OMGWTH RU CRZY/STPD! the whole issue of what to do comes in.

Abortion - After the immorality of premarital teenage sex, some people feel that the killing of the child should occur to “wipe away” the offense. Two wrongs make a right, correct? This is usually done on the basis that the mother is in no position to raise the child, that it kills her future, and it will hide the i-had-sex-and-got-pregnant statement from the world. In Jamie Lynn’s case, because of her stardom, she does have the means to raise the child. Whether it will ruin her career is being debated. As for hiding her mistake, after her two week period of keeping it to herself, she seems to be fine about getting it out in the open and taking responsibility.

Adoption - For those who don’t want the child for the above reasons but don’t want the second immorality of killing the child, adoption is Plan B. In many cases, the mother of the new mother makes the decision. Before my aunt met my uncle, she had a baby as a teenager. Her mom wanted her to have an abortion, but she refused, so they “compromised” on adoption. Every year on the child’s birthday, my aunt mourned for her daughter. To her, the child was dead.

Keep It - For those willing to sacrifice (or as my dad would say, too selfish to think of the child), Plan C is to keep the child and raise it as your own. While my dad would say this is irresponsible, I think the opposite as long as the new mother really will be dedicated to her child and willing to work and sacrifice. This seems to be where Jamie Lynn falls. She plans to raise the child in Louisiana and give it a “normal, family life.”

My best friend got pregnant around the same age as Jamie Lynn. She kept her son and has sacrificed every day since to give him the best life possible. Though she has given up so much because of it (dropped out of high school, immediately forced into role of adult, struggling to make ends meet), she doesn’t regret it at all and she is one of the best moms that I know. He is such an amazing boy that I love: talented, smart, funny. Imagine if she had aborted him or given him up for adoption. In her case she had many other issues going on as well. When she got pregnant, she resolved that everything else was gone too so that it wouldn’t harm him. In her case, the pregnancy was a blessing because she was heading towards the paths of Ms. Britney and Ms. Lindsay.

Another issue that comes up is the father. Will he stick around? If so, should the two get married. In my friend’s case, the dad denied being the father and left her. In a coworkers case, both sets of parents forced the two to marry for the child but they aren’t happy. Aldridge has been reported to be an “upstanding” guy who will stick around but there is no word of any planned marraige. We’ll see how that goes.

WHAT NOW?
Jamie Lynn moves back to Louisiana. Her show, Zoey 101, *should* air its fourth season as it is already filmed (though there are suggestions that Nickelodeon should not air it as a result, though they have shown support for her decision to take responsibility and care for her well-being). Aldridge will have to decide what role to play: father, husband, both, or neither? Will Jamie Lynn take after her big sister’s parenting skills (or lack thereof) or be a good mother? Will she stay in showbiz? I guess we’ll all find out.

ENDING OPINIONS
Personally I don’t agree with kids having sex randomly. I do feel that if two are in a consensual relationship and understand possible consequences (and, hopefully take precautions), then that is their decision.

I don’t feel that the rape laws relating to the small age differences are fair for many reasons and don’t feel that it should clog/back-up our justice system. If it was consensual, it was consensual. (If the ages were much younger, something should be done — but not rape). It’s a very sticky issue with many crevices of possibilities and the justice system can’t provide for each of those.

I don’t feel that he should be charged with rape–the other consensual cases shouldn’t either–but it would be hard to legally show differentiation between rape and non-rape without the blanket all-is-rape standards. What if she claims it was rape because they had a fight? What if the jury assumes the former is true because she doesn’t seem sincere or “hurt” enough but she really WAS raped and the guy gets away? And providing for everything would both a) back up the lawmaking system for this when there are bigger issues to work on and b) allow for many loopholes to let real rapists and child molesters to get away.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? COMMENT!
I typed for over an hour on this baby (no pun intended); type for a minute and give your feedback?

FURTHER READING