Teen Parenting: Trouble with the Law

Don't be fooled by the title: this is not about parenting juvenile delinquents, but rather the legal and personal consequences of teenage pregnancy. In the dramatic first half of the video, viewers meet Jason, who aspires to a career in professional baseball, but got his girlfriend Monica pregnant their senior year. She has since dropped out of school to work full-time and raise the baby. However, after Monica leaves the baby home alone to attend a party, the state places little Nicole in a foster home. Meanwhile, Jason won't quit baseball to get a job, so he's delinquent on child support. This story is presented through a pair of mock court cases, and a conversation between four of Monica and Jason's friends. The second half of the program offers a panel discussion with several teenage parents who answer tough questions about the drastic changes having a child has made to their young lives. With teenage pregnancies in America broaching the one million mark annually, there is a timely need for this video's clearly depicted tangible and immediate consequences to irresponsible sexual choices. Unfortunately, amateur shooting and editing, overacting worthy of a daytime drama, and a failure to really establish specifically what legal troubles a teenage parent potentially faces (the accompanying handouts do a better job), make this an optional purchase, especially at such a high price. Aud: H, C, P. (E. Gieschen)