Friday, November 25, 2011

Teen Social Issues

Is it possible for a person to be so in denial they won't acknowledge something as serious as a pregnancy, even as they are giving birth?  In her book, After, Amy Efaw explores the fictional case of Devon Davenport, a teenager who is accused of murder after a newborn is discovered in a trash receptacle outside her apartment building. "Dumpster babies" is a tragic event that occurs more often than you would imagine, according to end notes in the book.  Indeed, just today I read an article in the local news about a law that decriminalizes "abandonment of children within 72 hours of birth if the parents leave the newborn with police or medical personnel".  I found this book to be a fascinating, fast-paced look at the potential fallout of a teen pregnancy.