Maddy - The National Campaign | To Prevent Teen and Unplanned

Season 5-
Episode 1
“Maddy”
Maddy was known as a hardcore “jock” around school in Tinley Park, Illinois, and prided herself for her talent on any court or field.
As your classic sporty and down to earth girl, she had no problem dating. But after a brutal breakup with her boyfriend, Maddy
was on the rebound and met Cody on Facebook. They hooked up after knowing each other for only 20 minutes and Maddy got
pregnant. Her Mom was shocked because she has just had a baby herself. She feels the house is too small to accommodate all of
them and tells Maddy that she has to move out a month after the baby is born. Will Maddy be forced to move in with a guy she
barely knows?
Maddy and Cody barely knew each other when she got pregnant, and they still don’t know each other very well now. They
met online, had a one night stand soon after, and she got pregnant. Their first real “date” wasn’t until a few weeks before
Aubrey was born. Not exactly a fairy tale romance. When you think about the relationship you want to be in when you
have kids, what is it like? How will you know when it’s time to start a family? What qualities are you looking for in a partner
when it comes to being parents together? Should you think about that if you’re having sex? What do you think things will
be like in the future for Maddy and Cody?
Eight out of teen dads don’t marry the teen mother of their baby, and most couples don’t stay together at all.
Having a child won’t keep a relationship together and will usually make it a lot more challenging. Even among
those teen moms who do live with their child’s father, one in three say they argue often about responsibilities and
money.
What did you think of Maddy’s mom asking her to leave the family home after Aubrey was born?
She said they didn’t have
the room and that it wouldn’t be fair to the other kids. Was it fair to Maddy? Luckily she had the option to move into Cody’s
or to live with her dad, but it was obvious she wanted to stay in her mom’s house. What did you think of her mom saying
that in her opinion Madison’s life was “ruined” by getting pregnant so young? If you were facing a teen pregnancy, how do
you think your parents would react?
One of the leading reasons that teenagers say they don’t use birth control is because they’re afraid of their parents
finding out. As hard as it might be to talk to your parent about safe sex, what do you think it would be like to tell
them you were pregnant or got someone pregnant?
Maddy and Cody say they tried to use a condom when they had sex, but he found it uncomfortable so they ended
up going without. Now he says he should have paid attention more in health class and used the condom regardless.
Do you know how to use condoms correctly?
Condoms are great because there’s no doctor visit required, you can get them at any drugstore, they’re not very
expensive, and they protect you from sexually transmitted infections. However, they are not foolproof. With
typical use they are about 82% effective. That means out of 100 couples who use condoms, 18 of them will have
an accidental pregnancy during the first year they use this method. With perfect use, they are 98% effective.
Aubrey is two months old and her father has only seen her two times.
Maddy says she wanted an intact family for her
daughter but she couldn’t go through with moving into Cody’s parents’ house, even after they remodeled a room for her
and the baby. Do you think they’ll find a way for Cody to be a regular part of his daughter’s life? How do you think it will
affect Aubrey to not have her dad around? How do you think it will affect Cody to be far away from his daughter?
When a child grows up apart from their father they are more likely to be poor, more likely to more likely to struggle
in school, and more likely to suffer from behavioral and emotional problems.
Teen pregnancy is preventable and today’s teens are doing better at postponing pregnancy than previous
generations. The teen birth rate in the United States is down 52% since the early 1990s, and is currently at the
lowest level ever recorded.
Still, nearly three out of 10 girls in the U.S. get pregnant as teenagers. That means nearly 2,000 girls get
pregnant every single day.
Once there is a pregnancy, every road ahead is hard – whether the choice is to become a teen parent, make
an adoption plan, or have an abortion. In comparison to any of those, preventing a pregnancy is easy.
You CAN prevent pregnancy. Either don’t have sex at all, or use contraception carefully, correctly, and
consistently. Pregnancy is serious, so you need to take it seriously.
Most teens who get pregnant never thought it would happen to them. Thinking it won’t happen doesn’t
count – or work – as birth control.
Teen pregnancy is hard on teens – but much harder on their babies. Preventing pregnancy as a teenager can
help you be the best parent you can be later in life.
A baby won’t make him stay. Most teen couples don’t stay together after they have a child. Raising a child is
hard enough but doing it alone is even more challenging.
A baby won’t make him stay. 8 out of 10 fathers don’t marry the teen mother of their child. Most couples
don’t stay together at all.
It takes two people to get pregnant, but only one to prevent it. Be that one!
Have questions or need to know where to go? Check out these trusted sites:
Looking for information about all the available birth control methods and where you can go to get them?
Go to www.bedsider.org
Want more facts and tips on love, relationships, and teen pregnancy prevention (waiting, contraception,
talking with parents and peers, etc.)? Also a great teen-friendly clinic-finder! Go to www.stayteen.org
Think you might be pregnant or have questions about related topics?
Visit http://www.plannedparenthood.org/info-for-teens/
Questions about sexual health, STIs, or getting tested? Check out MTV’s www.itsyoursexlife.com