''The Pregnancy Pact'' is a 2010 American

teen Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television film directed by

Rosemary Rodriguez Rosemary Rodriguez is an American film and television director. She directed the 2015 film '' Silver Skies'' starring George Hamilton. ''Acts of Worship'' In 2001 Rodriguez wrote, produced and directed a feature film called ''Acts of Worship ...

and starring

Thora Birch Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is an American actress and producer. She made her feature film debut in 1988 with a starring role in ''Purple People Eater'', for which she received a Young Artist Award for "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years ...

, Madisen Beaty, and

Camryn Manheim Debra Frances "Camryn" Manheim (born March 8, 1961) is an American actress known for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt on ABC's '' The Practice'', Delia Banks on CBS's '' Ghost Whisperer'', Gladys Presley in the 2005 miniseries '' Elvis'', and ...

, based on the allegedly true story of a 2008

media circus Media circus is a colloquial metaphor, or idiom, describing a news event for which the level of media coverage—measured by such factors as the number of reporters at the scene and the amount of material broadcast or published—is perceived to ...

surrounding a large group of teen girls at the Gloucester High School, Gloucester, Massachusetts, who allegedly agreed to concurrently get pregnant, give birth and raise their children communally. The 2011 French film ''

17 Girls ''17 Girls'' (french: 17 filles) is a 2011 French comedy-drama film about 17 teenage girls who make a pregnancy pact. The film was screened at the 2011 Montreal World Film Festival and the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. ''17 Girls'' is based on the a ...

'' is based on the same events.

Plot

28-year-old reporter Sidney Bloom learns that her old high school, Gloucester High, has reported ten to eighteen teen pregnancies in the past eight weeks, and decides to investigate the situation. The school nurse, Kim, tells Sidney that that she has requested free birth control be provided to students, but the school has declined. While interviewing students, Sidney encounters pregnant teens Karissa, Iris, and Rose, who have all intentionally gotten pregnant at the same time and are encouraging fellow student Sara Dougan to get pregnant as well. Fearful of losing her boyfriend Jesse's interest, Sara willingly gets pregnant by him. Her friends are pleased, but Jesse leaves her upon discovering the pregnancy. When Sara's father Michael discovers the truth, he quarrels with both her and her mother Lorraine, and Sara's relationship with Lorraine deteriorates. Sidney consoles Sara and reveals that she got pregnant at 16 by a school faculty member, Brady, and subsequently gave the baby up for adoption. Jesse tells Sara that his father is willing to pay for an abortion, but Sara urges him to cancel his plans for college and a career in baseball to start their family together. Lorraine proposes a meeting of the school council to raise funds for the school's

daycare center Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

. Sidney, in attendance, requests birth control instead and reveals Sara's pregnancy, leading to Lorraine resigning from the council. A news story reporting on the girls' plans to raise their babies concurrently garners significant media attention. Tension rises between Jesse and his father when the latter implores him to focus on college and baseball instead of Sara. Sara tells Sidney of her dreams to marry Jesse and raise their child, not viewing a college education or a career as a priority. Later, Rose gives birth to a daughter, but her habit of smoking during pregnancy creates complications during labor, namely vaginal tearing, and leads to her daughter having to remain in the

NICU A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), also known as an intensive care nursery (ICN), is an intensive care unit (ICU) specializing in the care of ill or premature newborn infants. Neonatal refers to the first 28 days of life. Neonatal care, as kn ...

. After overhearing her discussing her revelation with Sidney, Jesse rejects Sara. Karissa's mother confronts her at a party, confessing how much she herself struggled as a single mother and imploring Karissa not to make the same mistake. At the party, Sara attempts to reconcile with Jesse, but he is adamant about not continuing their relationship or being present in their child's life. Devastated, Sara binge drinks and nearly succumbs to alcohol poisoning, but later reconciles with her parents. Lorraine convinces the school council to keep her on board, and begins advocating for them to provide birth control and encourage abstinence. In an epilogue, Sidney reveals that the principal resigned, and that the daycare is full, surmising that most girls have left the school in search of a better daycare. She encourages parents to be particular when advising their children about love, family, and relationships, and wishes the new mothers luck. Rose has become a reluctant mother and is shunned by the rest of her family her for having gotten pregnant as a teenager. During the final months of her pregnancy, Sara sees Jesse with his new girlfriend and begins to regret having gotten pregnant so young, lamenting the future she could have had with Jesse. The film concludes with Sara happily raising her daughter with the support of her parents.

Cast

as Sidney Bloom * Madisen Beaty as Sara Dougan * David Clayton Rogers as Brady Leary *

Max Ehrich Max Lewis Ehrich (born 1990 or 1991) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. Life and career Ehrich was raised in Marlboro Township, New Jersey, in a Jewish family with mother Rhonda Ehrich and father Bruce Ehrich. He made his film debut st ...

as Jesse Moretti * James McCaffrey as Michael Dougan *

as Nurse Kim Daly *

Nancy Travis Nancy Ann Travis (born September 21, 1961) is an American actress. She began her career on Off-Broadway theater, before her first leading screen role in the ABC television miniseries ''Harem'' opposite Omar Sharif. Her breakthrough came in 198 ...

as Lorraine Dougan *Michelle DeFraites as Karissa *Jenna Leigh Hall as Iris *Erin Frederic as Kathleen Kingsbury; the Reporter *Kelly Heyer as Rose *Tim Powell as Principal Bachman *

Ben Winchell Ben Winchell (born July 3, 1994) is an American film and television actor, known for playing Aiden in the film '' Teen Spirit'' and Dixon Ticonderoga in the series '' A.N.T. Farm''. He has played the titular role of Max Steel in the live-action ...

as Troy

Production

Of the two hundred and fourteen Lifetime Original Movies released up to 2011, ''The Pregnancy Pact'' was ranked as the fourth highest rated movie on Lifetime television. The film uses actual news footage from the time of the story, including footage of Gloucester's then-mayor Carolyn Kirk accusing school principal Bachman of giving unverified information to ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pregnancy Pact, The 2010 television films 2010 films 2010s teen drama films American teen drama films Drama films based on actual events American drama television films Films set in Massachusetts Films shot in New Orleans Lifetime (TV network) films Teenage pregnancy in film Teenage pregnancy in television 2010s English-language films 2010s American films