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Help and Protection for Young Ones

IT IS heartbreaking when a girl—still a child herself—becomes pregnant but is unmarried. Yet, teen pregnancy is widespread, and it touches everyone in some way. The tragedy of teen pregnancy is just one proof of the rightness of God’s command: “Flee from fornication.”—1 Corinthians 6:18.

Even so, from time to time, a young girl who has been taught God’s ways chooses to ignore or reject what she knows. She gets involved in sexual immorality and finds herself pregnant. How do true Christians react? When such a wayward youth gives evidence of repentance, her parents and other members of the Christian congregation should lovingly render help and support.

Consider again Nicole. Her parents were raising her to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It was thus particularly distressing when she got pregnant out of wedlock. Yet, Nicole recalls, “Fellow Christians would come to my house and try to encourage me to study the Bible and stay close to Jehovah.”

No, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not approve of sexual misconduct. But they recognize that by applying Bible principles, wrongdoers can “be transformed.” (Romans 12:2) They have unwavering faith that God forgives repentant wrongdoers. (Ephesians 1:7) They also recognize that even if a child has been conceived out of wedlock, the child has done nothing wrong. So instead of stigmatizing such a child, members of the Christian congregation show him or her the same tender affection, compassion, and kindness that they would to any other child in their midst.—Colossians 3:12.

One single mother began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. She quickly responded to the Bible’s message and made big changes in her life. She said of the Witnesses: “They all showed genuine interest in me and my children. They contributed food and clothing when necessary as well as financial aid. When I qualified to share in the field ministry with Jehovah’s Witnesses, they baby-sat for me. They did all they could to help me develop real love for Jehovah.”

Prevention

Still, it is far better to help young ones avoid such problems in the first place. Jehovah’s Witnesses thus try to provide a warm, loving family environment for their children. Instead of merely relying on scare tactics—promoting fear of AIDS or even of getting pregnant—Witnesses try to instill in young ones a real love for Jehovah God and for his laws. (Psalm 119:97) They believe that children need to be given accurate information about sex. More important, they believe that from infancy children need to be taught the moral principles given in the Bible. (2 Timothy 3:15) Formal instruction is provided at local Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses. However, Witness parents are also encouraged to study the Bible with their children on a personal basis. Literature, such as the book Questions Young People Ask—Answers That Work, has been produced to help parents give their children moral guidance.a

Following the Bible’s strict moral standards goes against the tide of immorality that has swept the world. But it is a way of life that could spare millions of young girls the tragedy of teen pregnancy.

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True Christians treat unwed mothers with kindness and consideration