When a sixteen year old boy acts on his sexual urges, this is generally considered a good thing. Even in a case where the boy is responsible for a pregnancy no one is prepared for, he simply "made a mistake." For "how could he have known how serious it was?" And "who can expect teenage boys to control themselves?" Society worries about his future, that he's not ready to be a father.
Yet if a sixteen year old girl is in the same predicament, she is afforded none of the grace offered the boy. She "shouldn't have let herself get in that situation." She "definitely knew better" than the boy. It is assumed that she will place her life on hold, and spend a lifetime "paying for her moral failing"-- I'm sorry, "taking responsibility for her actions."
This tale, with it's double standard, injustice, and lost potential is one of the many reasons I'm writing a letter a day to end forced birth. We must protect access to reproductive health care by statute.
