By John-Henry Westen
HOLLYWOOD, December 20, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Jamie Lynn Spears the 16-year-old younger sister of Britney Spears announced her pregnancy in an interview with OK! Magazine. The younger Spears, also a star in her own right acting in the show 'Zoey 101', told the celebrity magazine: "I can't say it was something I was planning to do right now. But now that it's in my lap and that it's something I have to deal with, I'm looking forward to being the best mom I can be."
As for her decision to keep the baby, Spears told OK! "I think my whole life I would have to live with knowing what I did or what I didn't do."
Spears discouraged sex before marriage saying, "I definitely don't think it's something you should do; it's better to wait. But I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."
But, she is ready to live up to the consequences of her actions. "I'm the one who has to live with it for the rest of my life," she says. "I put myself in this position, an adult position, so I have to act like an adult and take responsibility for what I did."
Spears' mother Lynne Spears told the magazine she was supportive and ready and willing to help.
Georgette Forney, director of Silent No More, an organization of women speaking out on the pain of abortion commented to LifeSiteNews.com about the news. "I'm grateful that Jamie Lynn and her parents were able to recognize that the issue of premarital sex needs to be separated from the issue of a pregnancy, the result of premarital sex," said Forney.
Forney explained, "In my situation, when I was sixteen I didn't want people to know I was having premarital sex so I had an abortion to cover up that sin. And I have regretted that every day of my life."
Forney added, "I applaud this young lady for having the courage to face the reality of what often happens in premarital sex and allow herself the joy of celebrating the pregnancy even under the circumstances that are less than perfect. It doesn't make the child conceived less than perfect. I celebrate with the Spears' the fact that there will be a new family member."
The Silent No More leader concluded, "Hopefully Jamie Lynn's experience will help other families use this opportunity to talk to their sons and daughters about the consequences of premarital sex. I'd like to see this used as an opportunity for further discussion and an opportunity to teach our young people about abstaining in the beginning."
Messages can be sent to Jamie Lynn Spears through Nick.com here:
http://www.nick.com/mynick/write_nick/mail.jhtml
