Sanchez, Julienne Rowelie A.

29, 2016

September

Juno
Interaction paper

Juno is a sixteen year old pregnant teenager. The movie was all about the
challenges and struggles she had faced on being a pregnant teen. The movie begins
with Juno fresh off her first sexual encounter. Adolescents especially in the middle
period tends to begin to realize they are sexual beings and are known to have risk
taking behaviors. Juno is a typical female mid-adolescent, yet a strong, wise and
independent-minded teenager. Her sexual encounter with her best friend Paulie
Bleeker seems to have been a result of a conformity with peer values, coupled with
curiosity and limited capacity to fully grasp the ramifications of risky behaviors and
their long term risks.
The major plot of the movie contains Juno discovering that shes pregnant.
Her knowledge of pregnancy test taking shows that she has been educated with the
topic of sex education, which is included in the educational curriculum of the United
States. Her reaction with the positive pregnancy test is what a usual teenager would
respond- denial. Her first encounter had unfortunately resulted to pregnancy.
Considering her age, this type of pregnancy is considered high-risk and has a
large possibility of occurrence of various complications which may lead to serious
morbidity or even mortality of the adolescent.
Junos current stage of development can be seen physically. Juno is 16 years
old and may have completed puberty, the growth rate slows, there is pubic and
body hair, a rounded and curved figure because of widened pelvis, hips and breasts.
With a well-established menstrual cycle, Juno at this point is physically able to
produce offspring. In the Tanners staging of sexual maturity, Juno may have
attained the most mature stage or may possibly be on the nearing maturity stage.
Despite of her maturing sexual stage, she is still included in the high-risk pregnancy
category.
The physical examination findings on adolescent pregnant women is similar
to typical, normal pregnancy. Despite this, special measures must be done and
proper education must be emphasized by the health care provider as adolescents
typically lack knowledge on this field. The pregnant adolescent must be guided
properly not only on the physical changes they undergo but also their psychosocial
experience of the pregnancy. Most often, teenage pregnancies are unwanted and
unplanned, leading to various issues and struggles. With this, they need a greater
sense of support most especially from their own family. On Junos case, her parents
were disappointed at first, but they expressed their support on Junos decision to
keep the baby. They have guided her and helped her throughout her pregnancy not
only physically but most especially mentally.
Junos decision to keep her baby despite of initially planning to abort it, shows
her moral principles and beliefs. We can conclude that Juno has put a great value on

life, as shown by her uneasiness and anxiety on the waiting lounge on an abortion
clinic. Telling this pregnancy first to her friend shows what a typical teenager would
do which is their loyalty to their peers. Regarding her decision on giving up the baby
for adoption is a very brave thing to do. At first, I thought that she is deciding hastily
without thinking of the consequences, but on the course of the movie, I saw how
Juno courageously thought or pondered on the issue. The conflict that arouse
eventually because of the divorce of the adopting couple had broken Junos heart
yet she still managed to make a decision of continuing the adoption. This decision
was based on her empathy to the adopting mother and her evaluation on her being
capable of providing care, love and nurture to her baby. Junos father and
stepmother have done great in giving advice to her during this time of conflict.
Several issues and conflicts can be seen throughout the movie. One is their
view on sex as something that is usual and normal and is done by everyone.
Another is their acceptance of teenage pregnancy, though disappointed at first, her
parents eventually accepted it unlike in the Philippine setting where the parents
reaction is usually mixed and is treated as a very big deal. Even in their own school,
teenage pregnancy is somehow tolerated even by the school officials. In their
setting, abortion seems to be very widely accepted and practiced. I have also
noticed how liberated their teens are. They were able to drive their own car, go to
places without the permission of their parents, and decide their own decisions and
many more.
Junos story may have turned out to be okay in the end but I can say that
more can be done to have helped her throughout this struggle. In this type of
pregnancy, careful planning and management must be done to ensure the safety of
the adolescent and her baby. This can be done if they would have sought help from
experts and professionals like physicians, nurses or counsellors. Another is proper
education must have been taught to not only her but also to her family regarding
her case.