High-Profile Teen Parents

Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin’s high-profile teen pregnancy has brought intense media scrutiny to this nationwide phenomenon. But these two aren’t the only parents-to-be whose pregnancy has propelled them into the national spotlight.

Take, for example, Casey Aldridge and Jamie Lynn Spears. These teens gave birth to their first child just a few months ago. Or ‘American Idol’ winner Fantasia Barrino, rapper Lil’ Wayne and singer Solange Knowles. These teens all became parents while they were still legally considered children, just like Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston.

Bristol Palin’s pregnancy has incited an enormous parenting backlash against her mother; Levi Johnston is probably jealous of celebuparents who comparatively flew under the radar, like fellow teen parents Isaac Hanson (of Hanson fame--remember them?) and Anna Nicole Smith. Indeed, well-respected individuals like Maya Angelou received praise, not criticism, for her professional success despite giving birth to a child just three weeks after graduating from high school.

So while Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston aren’t necessarily vanguards in their progeny production, the coverage of their teen pregnancy certainly is.