“I believe in safety and birth control as prevention," Jamie Lynn Spears tells Glamour this month.
by Annie Scudder
“I believe in safety and birth control as prevention," Jamie Lynn Spears tells Glamour this month. "But like many young girls . . . I was really scared to go to the doctor." Britney's little sister had to grow up fast, after she became pregnant at 16, and after taking some time away from the spotlight, she gave an interview with Glamour to mark her 21st birthday.
In the interview, Jamie Lynn shares the reality of becoming pregnant at an age most girls are thinking about prom, cheerleading, or college. She admits, "I had been on a Nickelodeon show, Zoey 101, and after we wrapped shooting, I just wanted to go home to Louisiana and finish high school, be a cheerleader, all that." But that wouldn't happen. "Then I found out I was pregnant [by then-boyfriend Casey Aldridge]. I was 16. I’d had one boyfriend."
Jamie Lynn also says she resented the judgment, which she believes was intensified by her fame. "I was judged for something that probably most everyone does. I was young. I was in love. I was like every other teenager, except I had this last name. And I made a decision that is forever my decision." But fear of judgement also led to the accidental pregnancy. Jamie Lynn explained, "I was on a Nickelodeon show, and it [felt] especially embarrassing to ask someone to put me on birth control. I didn’t want to ask my doctor, because she had a little girl."
Jamie Lynn's honesty reveals that many sexually active teens need the adults in their lives, be it parents, doctors, or sex ed teachers, to be more proactive about getting them access to birth control. Do you think Jamie Lynn's high-profile cautionary tale could make a difference? And see more from inside the March issue at Glamour.
