Pregnant Teen Banned From Walking at High School Graduation

[Different Drummer]

HAGERSTOWN, Md. -- An 18-year-old Maryland high school student has been banned from walking at her high school graduation ceremony because she is pregnant, WTTG reports.

Maddi Runkles attends Heritage Academy, a private Christian school in Maryland, and the school says she violated its code of conduct by having premarital sex.

Runkles is one of 15 seniors in her class and will be the only one not allowed to walk because she is pregnant.

“It’s like a small school and it is such a big deal and I am the only one that is not going to be there that night to walk to the stage,” she told the station.

More at http://myfox8.com/2017/05/24/pregnant-teen-banned-from-walking-at-high-school-graduation/

[Warren DeMontague]

1. Wow, way to be "pro-life", huh?

I thought this was what you people wanted?

[Mariana]

17. No, no, no.

They want to deny women access to abortion AND they want to shame unwed pregnant women.

[SharonAnn]

26. And the father of the child? Wasn't he immoral, too? or is he from somewhere else?

Enquiring minds want to know.

[lindysalsagal]

2. Private schools can do shit like that. Which is why I oppose DeVos: She wants taxpayer $$

to prop up such hatred.

[StevieM]

3. They say that they are against abortion but when a woman or girl gets pregnant and keeps

the baby they are pretty disdainful of her too.

These people want no sex outside of heterosexual marriage and EVERY SINGLE CHILD born out of wedlock to be given up for adoption.

[elleng]

4. private Christian school, naturally.

Concerned, as I lived there, and still live in MD. 'she violated its code of conduct by having premarital sex,' so it's on her 'shoulders.'

[Aristus]

6. I agree. Private school, so she doesn't have a leg to stand on.

If it was a public school, I would proudly join the howls of protest over the issue.

[Thomas Hurt]

5. judge not lest you be judged, and removing the plank from your eye, and all that...

[StevieM]

7. Here is my thread from the Editorials section. It includes a link to a great NY Times article.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016185597


Pregnant at 18. Hailed by Abortion Foes. Punished by Christian School.


~snip~

BOONSBORO, Md. — Maddi Runkles has never been a disciplinary problem.

She has a 4.0 average at Heritage Academy, the small private Christian school she attends; played on the soccer team; and served as president of the student council. But when her fellow seniors don blue caps and gowns at graduation early next month, Ms. Runkles, 18, will not be among them.

The reason? She is pregnant.

The decision by school officials to bar Ms. Runkles from “walking” at graduation — and to remove her from her student council position — would have remained private, but for her family’s decision to seek help from Students for Life. The anti-abortion group, which took her to a recent rally in Washington, argues that she should be lauded, not punished, for her decision to keep her baby.

Read More: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/us/teen-pregnancy-religious-values-christian-school.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

[Docreed2003]

8. It's amazing how far some Christians' actions are from the actions of the Jesus of the gospels

[sinkingfeeling]

28. Wasn't Mary a pregnant, unwed teenager?

[Docreed2003]

29. Exactly

[Luciferous]

9. Not surprised by this- I was 17 when I got pregnant with my daughter and was strongly

encouraged to switch to the alternative night school classes.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. Gee, that sounds useful, supportive and important.

[mopinko]

11. i think we are devolving.

i really do. they did this shit in my catholic high school in 1972.
ffs.

[LeftInTX]

16. I went to public school and graduated in 1974

The 1973 Homecoming Queen got pregnant. She walked across the stage ready to drop, to a huge applause. However, she was a married woman at the time. Of course, the husband/dad-to-be was Captain of the Football Team.

This was a big deal. There was talk that they wouldn't let her walk across the stage, but students complained. She also had gotten married, which was in her favor.

I think if she was a typical downtrodden unattached social outcast, I don't know what the school would have done. Usually they were sent away. My friend was.

Nevertheless, it was an important moment for our school.

[Demit]

21. Interestingly, in my Catholic school in 1970 they let the student participate

in graduation. Not only that, they let her graduate on stage (because of her GPA). Not only that, but because we were lined up by size, and she was the shortest, she was the first one in the procession. It was a source of great merriment to us. She was seven months pregnant, and we all knew, and so did they. Catholic hypocrisy at its finest. If you're a favorite, you slip by.

[Freethinker65]

12. And just how many of the remaining 14 seniors are "verified" virgins?

Private school, so they can shame and stigmatize if they want to, but you can bet she is not the only student to break the code of conduct.

[LeftyMom]

13. Did one of her classmates get her pregnant? Is he walking?

Does anybody genuinely believe the other 14 graduating seniors are virgins?

[Different Drummer]

14. If I had to guess, I'd say virginity has gone 0-15 in that class.

As people who live in the real world know, teenagers have sex.

[Me.]

15. How Christian Of Them

[Mariana]

18. Christians have done stuff like this for a long, long time. nt.

[FreeState]

19. "a private Christian school" - that there is the problem n/t

[bdamomma]

20. I mean

Where do we live????. How much more are Americans going to take???

[malaise]

22. That's ridiculous

Damn people are backwards

[Doodley]

23. Would they ban the president?

[Different Drummer]

24. Good point! n/t

[spanone]

25. so, a private 'christian' school has no clue What Jesus Would Do?

[Different Drummer]

27. Shocking, n'est ce pas? n/t