well, if you want it to come down to money... I'm going to have to point out the other side.... (and keep in mind I am talking about kids who had sex on purpose, not rape or incest or anything of the like)
... the likelihood that teen mothers will be living on government aid, regardless of finishing high school, is still pretty high. Who watches the kid when it's time to get a job? Who watches the kid if they manage to get to college? Who pays for the baby and for college? I would rather award scholarships to kids who played by the rules, resisted temptations and focused on the future.
... in my town, my old high school is the oldest one in the district and extremely overcrowded. If they suggested allotting a single classroom for a baby daycare for kids who can't keep their legs together, I'd have to storm city hall. I'm not squashing even more kids together and degrading their education further to make room for babies - which do not have a place in a public high school.
... I'm extremely against hiring someone to come look after these kids' kids. It's not like special ed - those children can't help being the way they are. Pregnancy is 100% preventable. Especially considering all the friggen sex ed they made us take - starting in FIFTH grade!! I feel, as a taxpayer, I paid for programs that were supposed to deter kids from having sex. I don't feel I am obligated to pay for those who decide to ignore it.
I think a better idea would be to have some kind of discount daycare ELSEWHERE... so the teens still have the "nothing in life is free" concept, the knowledge that every action has a consequence, but something where they don't have to work 30 hours a week to pay for it! (Personally, I'm all for $50 per kid per week). Now that, I might be willing to pay a bit for as a taxpayer. I'm not a fan of handouts.
Sheesh this is slowly tipping me off the balance and into the "hell no" side, the more that I think about it.
