"Juno" Advocates Responsibility, Not Teen Pregnancy

There have been some articles in the news lately about the debate on whether Jason Reitman’s film “Juno” shows the strength of Juno and young women, or glorifies teen pregnancy. It is hard for me to believe that any movie where a girl calls herself a planet, and admits that she is ill-equipped to raise a child, glorifying.

Granted, she has a support group that many teen mothers do not have. She also seems to be more accepted by her peers than many teen mothers would be. This seems to be a cultural thing. Many teenagers today are more accepting and realistic about teen pregnancy because it is simply more of a reality to them than it was in times past. While all generations have dealt with teen pregnancy, each one up until today’s high school students have seen and dealt with it more and more.

The acceptance factor also has to do with where you are. In the “Bible Belt” areas such as the southern United States, teen pregnancy is still very frowned upon by most people, including young people. It seems that the farther north and west we go, the acceptance starts to become higher, but even in the Bible Belt the idea of teen pregnancy is becoming more and more tolerated.

The fact is that “Juno” is the story of a strong young woman rising above her circumstances. If she had just laid back and died or had an abortion the story would not have been as interesting or as funny. She recognizes that she has a choice and takes responsibility for her situation. This movie does not advocate teen pregnancy, it simply advocates taking charge of your situation and doing what is right for you and those you love.