Thora Birch in "The Pregnancy Pact"
courtesy of Lifetime
“The Pregnancy Pact” (Lifetime)

“The Pregnancy Pact” is a Lifetime movie that is based on a true story. It concerns a group of girls living in a New England town who supposedly made a “pregnancy pact” with each other. The movie delves into why such a pact would be made and what the ramifications are for those involved. 

To keep the story moving we are introduced to a young woman who used to live in the town. Her name is Sidney Bloom (Thora Birch) and she has a video blog. She learns of the upturn of teen pregnancies in this town and comes back to interview the girls, their parents, and the school officials. She is not welcomed with open arms.

The main teen in the story is Sara Dougan (Madison Beaty), a sweet fifteen-year old who is madly in love with her boyfriend Jesse (Max Erlich). She is part of the group of girls at her school who are pregnant, intentionally. It is hard to understand how Sara could be caught up in the “want to be a mother” mindset as she has caring parents who provide for her in all ways. Yet she doesn’t want college or a job – she just wants a baby.

My problem with the movie is it does not come down hard enough on the difficulties of being a teen and being pregnant. It shows how there is day care at the school, and the parents appear to be supportive of their daughters – after the fact. Plus the boys who impregnate the girls seem to get to keep their lives and not be involved. It isn’t even clear if they pay financial support.

Teen pregnancy is a problem in this country. This movie highlights the problem but doesn’t offer much in the way of a solution. It is a good intentioned film but not quite as effective as I would have liked.

Nancy Travis, James McCaffrey, Caryn Manheim and David Rogers appear in the film as Sara’s mother and father, the school nurse and Sidney’s high school boyfriend. They are all competent in their roles and help make the characters believable. The acting is not the problem. It is the script that falters.

“The Pregnancy Pact” premieres on the Lifetime Channel, Saturday, January 23 at 9PM.
 

 

 

 

 

©2010 Jackie K. Cooper

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