Doctors Doubt Teen's 'Virgin Birth' Story

Medical experts are dismissing a Pennsylvania teen's claim that she got pregnant without going all the way. But abstinence educators say that the Christmas miracle confirms what their research says: that pregnancy can happen without sexual intercourse.

May not be room for expectant mom at Bethlehem hospital

By Deanna Swift

BETHLEHEM, PA—If all goes according to plan, 18 year-old Marissa Meyers will soon welcome a Christmas miracle into the world. The high school student, who is expected to give birth to her first child on Christmas day, knows that her baby will share a very special birthday. But the two Bethlehem babes may share something else in common: like the original Mary, Marissa says that she conceived her child-to-be without having sexual intercourse.

Doctors at the Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network's Bethlehem campus, where Marissa will deliver her child, are disputing her account; they say that such 'virgin births' are more fable than fact. But abstinence-only educators are pointing to the high school senior as important proof to back up their claim that women need not engage in sexual intercourse to get pregnant.

Meanwhile, Marissa and her boyfriend, 18 year-old Josh Fallon, are praying that their lives will soon return to normal.

Like a virgin
Marissa says that she first began to notice that something was amiss last May. "I was 'late,' and I felt kind of sick in the mornings." But the former cheerleader and honor roll student was certain that she couldn't be pregnant. "We fooled around but we didn't go all the way," says Marissa, noting that she and her boyfriend, both of whom attended a mandatory abstinence education class at Bethlehem's Freedom High School, are members of the sexual abstinence program, Silver Ring Thing, and have signed an abstinence vow.

But when Marissa told her doctors that her pregnancy was probably a miracle, she says that they scoffed at her. "They like totally dismissed me. They said that you have to have sex to get pregnant. But that seems so one sided."

Forced to sit out the fall term of her senior year, Marissa says that she feels like she's being unfairly singled out for punishment. There may be something to her claim. A recent Newsweek poll found that 79 % of Americans believe the bible's account of the birth of Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, without a human father.

Marissa says that to punish her and praise Mary is hypocritical. "She was like 13 when she had her baby and no one ever says anything bad about her."

Don't look, don't touch
In recent weeks, questions about what causes pregnancy have taken center stage, after Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman of California released a report charging that many federally funded abstinence programs contain "false" or "misleading" information. Among the claims found in abstinence curricula: that half of gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus, that abortion can lead to sterility and suicide, and that touching a person's genitals "can result in pregnancy."

Conservative and pro-family groups quickly struck back at Waxman, charging that the Democrat's own report was riddled with falsities and errors, and standing by their cutting-edge claims that masturbation may cause pregnancy.

Marissa Meyer's case clearly puts the ball in the pro-family court, says David Spragg, a spokesman for the Family Research Council, a Washington, DC, group that champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the wellspring of society.

"For the past thirty years, our kids have been learning that the only way to get pregnant is as a result of sexual intercourse," says Spragg. "It's about time that our children got to hear the full truth."

No room at the inn
Meanwhile, a tense standoff is unfolding in Bethlehem, a city known for its rich colonial and industrial history. Thousands of churchgoers have descended on the Lehigh Valley Hospital in recent days, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl they call the "virgin mom," and praying that they'll be able to witness a very special Christmas birth. Hospital administrators have had to curtail parking on LVHHN grounds and are enforcing crowd limits.

Later tonight, three members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation, including Republican Senator Rick Santorum, are expected to visit the scene. "Senator Santorum really wants to bring the new mother and her baby a gift to celebrate this special Christmas occasion," says Santorum spokesman Robert Wraynham.

Marissa Meyers is hoping for an easy delivery. But before she and Josh can welcome their miracle baby into the world, they've got another hurdle to cross. Hospital administrators say that LVHHN is currently bursting at the seams, and that there may not be any room for Marissa to give birth here. "We hate to turn her away, but we're at total facility occupancy at present," says hospital spokeswoman Pamela Lepley.

Marissa and Josh say that if there is no room for them at the Bethlehem hospital, they will likely go up into the hills, to LVHHN's Cedar Crest facility in nearby Allentown. "It's much nicer anyway," says Marissa. "Compared to Cedar Crest, Bethlehem is like a barn."

Deanna Swift can be reached at deannaswift1@yahoo.com

 

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