The Guardian also interviews Karlee's dad, 17-year-old Michael Mitchell, who is a total piece of work. He was given a Mustang when he graduated from high school earlier this year, but he already crashed it and has a summons for speeding. When asked why so many kids from Gloucester are knocked up, he told the Guardian, "They were horny, it was a cold winter. It's boring around this town. Nothing to do." Also, his plans for the future? "Throwing a party."

For his part, the Gloucester High principal whose comments set off this maelstrom in the first place, Joseph Sullivan, stands by what he said to Time, despite denials from other quarters. He told Time's Kathleen Kingsbury that he found out about the pregnancy pact through "staff reports and student/staff chatter, all of which I have found to be very reliable in my experience as principal." However, due to the controversy, his job may be imperiled, so at this point, he's not going to be doing any more interviews. Sullivan says: "The affected children need to be left alone with their parents and families to deal with the consequences of their actions"

'Pact, What Pact?' Ask Teenage Mothers As The World's Media Come To Town [Guardian]
Gloucester Principal Stands by Story [Time]

Earlier: Time Writer Goes On Today To Discuss Gloucester "Pregnancy Pact"
Time's Nancy Gibbs Thinks "Pregnancy Pact" Teens Are Responsible
Pregnancy Pacts: Better Than Suicide Ones, Still Not That Good

Pregnant Gloucester 17-year-old Lindsey Oliver told GMA, "There was a group of girls already pregnant that decided they were going to help each other to finish school and raise their kids together," and to that statement, Gibbs adds, "What if the 'problem' in evidence at Gloucester High has more to do with the rejection of abortion than the acceptance of teen pregnancy?"

Gibbs seems to be ignoring all the evidence presented in previous articles published in her own magazine. Whether or not there was actually a "pregnancy pact," the doctor and nurse at Gloucester High went on record to say the same girls came in for pregnancy tests multiple times and were disappointed when the results came back negative. But, even if these pregnancies had been unintentional, the fact that they're deciding to keep the babies shouldn't be seen as a positive thing — it should be received as a neutral choice. Gibbs points to recent statistics that the abortion rate among teen girls has fallen 55% since the 80s, and heralds that as " a willingness to take responsibility for the consequences," as if having an abortion isn't taking responsibility for consequences.

The problem of judgment in this article shouldn't necessarily be placed on the unwashed masses of the internet, it should be placed on Gibbs. Through her language, she's implying that choosing to have a baby is the more "responsible" choice for a pregnant teen. The entire point of choice is doing what's right for you, and making yourself happy should really be the "positive" thing in any pregnancy.

Give the Gloucester Girls A Break [Time]
Teen Baby Boom in a Mass. High School [ABC News]

Related: Pregnancy Boom At Gloucester High [Time]

Pregnant With Meaning [Guardian]

Earlier: Time Writer Goes On Today To Discuss Gloucester Pregnancy Pact
Pregnancy Pacts: Better Than Suicide Ones, Still Not That Good
Experts Don't Understand Why Fewer American Women Are Getting Abortions