TV Reviews : Straight Talk About Teen Pregnancy

Sure, they’ve heard about condoms, AIDS and all the rest, but 1 million teen-age girls are getting pregnant each year. That statistic has serious ramifications not only for the health and well-being of these young women and their children but also for society at large, sparking increasing debate about cost, values and responsibility, both male and female.

“Jacqui’s Dilemma,” tonight’s involving ABC special for young people and parents, personalizes the issue through a fictional 16-year-old (Melissa Thompson) who finds herself pregnant. As she struggles with shock, denial, grief and fear, trying to make a decision, we hear real-life comments from teen-age boys and girls, psychologists, teachers, social workers, clergy members and others--including Dr. Joycelyn Elders, the fearlessly outspoken U.S. surgeon general.

Girls speak of pressure from boys to have sex; boys swagger as they say, “You’re not going to stop at third base,” and pronounce condoms as an inconvenience. Yet they turn sober when asked what it would mean if they were forced to be responsible for a child.

Will Jacqui keep the baby (her mother says it will ruin her life), give it up (only 5% of real teens do) or have an abortion (her dad says that would be killing)? The program, written and directed by Eamon Harrington and John Watkin, offers no blanket answer; instead, it provides straight talk from all sides that could help prevent some young people from having to face such a life-altering crisis in the first place. * “Jacqui’s Dilemma” airs 8-9 p.m. tonight on ABC (Channels 7 and 3).