Yeah, Right, Whatever

A pregnant Senior at a Catholic high school was told she could not participate in the graduation ceremony.

A pregnant student who was banned from graduation at her Roman Catholic high school announced her own name and walked across the stage anyway at the close of the program....

The school's guidance counselor delivered (Alysha) Cosby's degree to her house earlier Tuesday, but she still wanted to participate.

"I worked hard throughout high school and I wanted to walk with my class," she said.

Cosby was told in March that she could no longer attend school because of safety concerns, and her name was not listed in the graduation program.

Safety concerns? Let's try a little honesty. It's probably against school rules for a girl to attend classes once her pregnancy is... apparent.

When I was in high school, one of my best friends got pregnant. Her parents informed the Catholic school that we attended, and they were told that she could go to classes until it became obvious that she was pregnant. Then, with the cooperation of the public high school, she could be tutored at home until after the baby was born. Then she could return to the school. Evidently, they thought that none of the students would find out if she wasn't in the school. (Yeah, well... that might have been the case... except that another friend and I passed out blue bubblegum cigars and blue suckers the day after Nick was born... ) Our senior year, the same process was repeated by two other students at the school. At no time was their participation in the graduation ceremony questioned.

So... while I think the "no graduation ceremony" ruling was a bit harsh, it makes sense. Miss Cosby was attending a private religious school. Private religious schools can make whatever rules they want to (within the law). If they want to believe that students won't figure out that the reason Alysha suddenly wasn't in English Lit was because of a baby, then they can live in their own little delusional world.

That's not what got me irked... this is what got me irked.

The father of Cosby's child, also a senior at the school, was allowed to participate in graduation.

OK... let's think about this for just a minute. The reason that Alysha wasn't in school after March and couldn't participate in the graduation is because (yeah, I'm presuming, but... it's a Catholic school... I think I can figure this one out... ) her pregnancy is a visible reminder that, well... she was sinning. Well, that particular sin takes two. And, we can also presume that everyone in the school, by now, knows who Alysha's boyfriend is. Therefore, we also know that he was breaking the 7th Commandment. But, because he doesn't carry with him a visible sign of his sin, he gets a free pass. Did I get that right?

What is that teaching the guys at that school? Granted, I have no idea what this young couple's future plans include... marriage as soon as possible might not be a bad idea. But, the school, by punishing her and not him, they're telling guys that there's no negative consequences. It's no big deal. It's the girl's burden to bear, not theirs.

Yeah... I'm probably blowing this out of proportion. But, it just seems to me that it's a bit hypocritical that a girl can't participate in a graduation ceremony because she's pregnant, but the guy that "got her that way" can participate as if there's nothing wrong.