Preventing Pregnancy OR Supporting Students? Learning from the Stories of Young Mothers

Researchers have long discussed the negative implications of discourses about teenage pregnancy. The authors of this article join this discussion by focusing on the tension between social/educational imperatives to prevent teenage pregnancy and the educational imperative to support all students. Drawing from data from the My Pregnancy Story Project—a mixed-method study of the lived experiences of 27 young pregnant and/or mothering women—this article illustrates that pregnant and mothering students often endure school environments in which they are consistently reminded of their “mistake” by teachers, peers, and sex education learning activities. Although some participants reported feeling stigmatized and silenced, these young women also articulated what they want from their schools. Reflecting on these youth voices, the authors call for school personnel and those making policy decisions to examine and revise school policies in the areas of harassment and bullying, school codes of conduct, personnel hiring and training, health and sex education pedagogy, and access to information.