Education

Teen Fakes Pregnancy for 6 Months as Part of School Project

Duped.

That’s what students, teachers, and staff at Toppenish High School in Toppenish, WA were. The duper is 17-year-old Gabby Rodriguez, who convince all those around her (including her friends, siblings, and even her boyfriends) for the past 6 months that she’s been pregnant. According to her, it was all part of senior project.

Teen Fakes Pregnancy for 6 Months as Part of School Project

Rodriguez revealed her lie — which she pulled off by wearing a fake belly — on Wednesday. “The closest people to me were mad at first, they felt lied to, betrayed,” she admitted to KNDU-TV:

From KNDU:

Her mother, boyfriend, principal were all in on the secret. They felt the potential reward was worth the possible damage of the deceit.

“I think that it starts the conversation. I don’t know if one presentation will change the way people think long term but it certainly gets the ball rolling”, says Trevor Greene, Principal of Toppenish High School.

Gaby has kept a record of how students treated her differently over the last six months and the rumors they spread about her.

“It was bound to happen, that I was irresponsible that I wasn’t going to continue school”, were just some of the few says Gaby, “confronting it an putting it out there for teens to realize that what you say about other teens, it gets to them”.

“This leads us to ask what side are we on as adults? Are we doing everything we can to support them in the situations that they’re in?”, asks Greene.

This was just as easily a test of dedication, Gaby sacrificed 6 ½ months to this project.

Comments (52)

1 2
  • teddrunk
    Posted on April 23, 2011 at 8:25am

    Watch me fake interest in this story.

    Report Post »  
  • BBomber66
    Posted on April 23, 2011 at 7:54am

    I didn’t get the purpose of the project. If it was to see what comments she would get, it seems a bit pointless. Shouldn’t there be a thesis statement or some equivalent of it? Shoudn’t if list some of the expected outcomes? What was learned by the student from having done the project? The story only commented on very few events. I couldn’t tell if it was a feel good piece, a social injustice piece, a call for planned parenthood to set up in our schools or a exercise demonstrating political expediency. Maybe that last was the goal of the journalist or what passes for journalsim today. Well, l am getting tired.

    Report Post » BBomber66  
  • The Gooch
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:44pm

    Ranks up there with the ground breaking study that confirmed the existence of beer goggles. Did you know that as the evening progresses at your favorite watering hole, your standards for choosing a sexual partner begin to loosen up? Shocking, yes?
    Sociology and psychology often attempt to impress with the obvious. If the kid can write well, she may have an interesting tale to tell, but her story is manufactured and was out there with other actual pregnant teens: It ain’t smart to get knocked up when your young, unskilled and uneducated. Really? That make life harder for you? Who knew!?!

    Report Post »  
  • NEL
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 3:53pm

    Just because she had more than one boyfriend doesn’t mean she had sex with any of them…..it could happen…

    Report Post »  
  • Bob Knows
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 2:54pm

    Lying scumbabes need a good hard spanking. Her “friends” are right to be angry that she lied to them. Anyone remember when honesty was a virtue?

    Report Post » Bob Knows  
  • alina.bolero
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 2:33pm

    So … I’m confused. The lesson learned here was …. what exactly?

    If the point was to show that gossip is bad, then yes, I’m all for it. Gossip only hurts people and damages the credibility of the gossiper.

    Report Post » alina.bolero  
    • Vie_En_Ras
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 3:17pm

      That’s exactly what I was thinking. What’s the lesson? Because if it’s “people should be aware of the horrible things people say when a teen gets pregnant” then I can’t stand behind it. Sorry, I believe in a thing that rights come with responsibility. If someone won’t take the responsibility for their actions, which can – and often times do – include rude opinions, then you can’t lay claim to the right.

      However if it’s just about the extent of how far gossip goes and how quickly it builds – great. Congrats. As long as the people who truly matter in your life are aware of the truth, then by all means, finish your project and I wish you well.

      Report Post » Vie_En_Ras  
  • mrsmileyface
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 1:13pm

    Its scarry that. that generation is going to be running the country when im in my elderly years. Perhaps I can bypass that with a nice cynayde ensure shake. Screw you DEATH PANELS!

    Report Post » mrsmileyface  
  • HootOwl
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 1:04pm

    This high school principal should be fired immediately with cause. It is not OK to manipulate people’s emotions by perpetuating a lie in order to achieve some nebulous outcome or “initiate conversation.“ It is not OK to teach our children that these ”ends justify the means.” It’s not OK to blatently ignore the published “Beliefs” of the school you represent. (This is right off the home-page of the school; “Wildcats believe- that every person displays honesty, integrity, and respect.”) It’s not OK to blatently ignore the published “Beliefs” of the district that employs you. (This is right off the mission-statement page of the district; “Beliefs[of the district]: Honesty and integrity develop respect.) Mr. Greene, your actions in this matter are deserving of contempt, not respect. Although I probably would not be successful, if I resided in your district, I would demand your immediate termination.

    Report Post »  
  • Pilgrim Bill
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 1:02pm

    So this is what they go to school for Social Experimentation. Boy friend lucky her siblings dint beat him up.

    Report Post »  
  • axel@25
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 1:00pm

    Only 1 question is raised by this pointless “experiment”….. WHY ??

    It did not add a single bit of additional info , knowledge, statistics, or any new discovery .

    simply interviewing several already pregnant teens or following their day-to-day lives (with permission) would have done excatly the same thing as the fake pregnancy did. As it is there is no way to determine if the “results” are peculiar to the Girl …maybe she was already a victim of gossip, rumor, and mistrust for other behaviors real or imagined

    Report Post »  
    • axel@25
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 1:12pm

      Sorry…but I accidentally posted before I was finished….
      The effects on these “subjects” are also suspect because they KNEW she wasn’t actually pregnant, knew what the point of the experiment was, and knew it would be over in time to “correct the record”.
      Because the participants had pre-conceived notions of how people would respond they prejudiced the
      results… i.e., If you expect someone will insult you and they say “nice shirt” is it sarcasm or a complement….

      Basically it’s like this … maybe the real experiment is to see the reaction of family and friends that were lied to long-term, about a serious personal issue, and then made to look like fools.

      Report Post »  
    • Concerned1
      Posted on April 23, 2011 at 11:57am

      I agree. That was pointless and stupid.

      Report Post »  
  • UlyssesP
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 12:53pm

    “even her boyfriends”
    Well I guess it was believable because she sleeps around.

    Report Post » UlyssesP  
  • Rowgue
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 12:36pm

    There are plenty of pregnant high school girls. Even in my smalltown (pop. 8,000) high school we had a couple of girls that got pregnant during high school.

    I really fail to see why they needed to fake a pregnancy. Just seems like a stupid stunt to me. They got what they really wanted though, fifteen minutes.

    Report Post »  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 12:21pm

    it talks about all the negative comments and rumors spread ……….about being pregnant…………………and what was the moral of this story????

    you wont be ridiculed and have to deal with rumors if you abort the evidence

    everyone notice this project was intended to SHOW THE NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF PREGNANCY said nothing about choosing not to participate in the action that would put you in that position to begin with

    or the joys of motherhood at all ………………all it did was reinforce the negative with pregnancy and lack of responsibility

    Report Post » Psychosis  
  • Its Gonna Getcha
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 12:14pm

    Disagree 100% with this “school project”. Many potentially important decisions were made because of her “pregnancy”. Seems more like she was trying to teach people “a good lesson” and resorted to lies and falsehoods. The ends justified the means. Maybe this WH administration rubbed off on her.

    Report Post » Its Gonna Getcha  
    • smak
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 1:01pm

      >>>>>> Maybe this WH administration rubbed off on her.
      Wouldn’t that get her pregnant?

      Report Post »  
  • eat-more-bacon-USA
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:36am

    Teaching children to lie is never a good thing.

    Report Post » eat-more-bacon-USA  
    • conversationcanwork
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:42am

      It wasn’t teaching children to lie, it was a social experiment which had to be based off of a lie.

      Report Post » LiberalMarine  
    • Navyveteran
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 12:01pm

      Bacon you don’t have to teach children to lie, this comes naturally to all of us. This is part of our human nature. I constantly have to teach my children lying, disrespecting others, and stealing are bad. They were never taught those traits, I am always correcting that behavior for good behavior

      Report Post »  
  • HTuttle
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:33am

    Some women take faking orgasm way too far!

    Report Post »  
  • momprayn
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:23am

    Perfect example of our leftist/liberal/secular mindset and push to get it to “mainstream” now increasing in our public schools which are into indoctrination of liberalism, secularism (which is a religion btw). You use the old twisted, demonicly inspired “end justifies the means” strategy: “They felt the potential reward was worth the possible damage of the deceit.”
    Never mind about morals, God, personal responsibility, accountability, self discipline, etc. – all the traditional “virtues” — good is evil, evil is good….we must be supportive of any behavior, no matter how immoral: “This leads us to ask what side are we on as adults? Are we doing everything we can to support them in the situations that they’re in?” Deceitful — yes, we must be supportive in that we tell them we still love them & we don’t abandon them, etc. but if you are Christian, you don’t condone it. They want you to condone it — “support” = “condone”….. same as the gay rights thing….the homosexual lifestyle. You’re “bad” and evil if you don’t do this.
    This was an outrageous lie supported and encouraged by the school, parents. It’s more than disgusting and dangerous, dragging us down even more to ruin.. please people, wake up, wake up.

    Report Post »  
    • conversationcanwork
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:37am

      So you are saying that if you had a teenager and they were gay or had a baby on the way (Hypothetical, so forget the I RAISED MAH KIDS RIGHT!) you wouldn’t support them?

      Report Post » LiberalMarine  
  • teddrunk
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:19am

    I’m impressed Ms. Rodriguez isn’t really pregnant, and doesn’t have 3 or 4 by now. Way to go.

    Report Post »  
  • Stoic one
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:16am

    Sacrificed what? I would like to know the full extent of what her fellow students attitudes were. How does this promote responsibility? Will this cause introspection of individual on how they treat other?

    Report Post » Stoic one  
  • BetterDays
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:13am

    Quotes from the article.
    “Her mother, boyfriend, principal were all in on the secret. They felt the potential reward was worth the possible damage of the deceit.”

    So lying is good if it has a good ending?
    Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor”, a commandment, does it apply? Did at any time this deception call for her, or those in on it to have an unknowing participant speak untruthfully on this matter? Did this cause gossip, slander, or anything else that might not have been had that deception not been done? Is not an action you take that causes your neighbor to bear false witness based upon a lie you told, false witness in and of itself? We don’t know, this posting does not answer these questions. But a simple rule might apply, there is no right way to do a wrong thing, but wrong things can turn out alright.

    Report Post »  
  • ztkraptor
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:09am

    “This leads us to ask what side are we on as adults? Are we doing everything we can to support them in the situations that they’re in?”, asks Greene.

    I think it should read this way
    “This leads us to ask what side are we on as adults? Are we doing everything we can to support them in the situations that PUT THEMSELVES in?”, asks Greene.

    Report Post »  
  • and to the republic
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:09am

    very interesting indeed. Would love to see the report or results of what comes of this…

    Report Post »  
  • handsoffmystuff
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:08am

    Thanks to the school for promoting sociopathic behavior. She‘s the poster child for why sometimes women shouldn’t but do get hit.

    Report Post »  
  • MontanaRob
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:08am

    I’m not sure on this one. On one hand, the fact that she was living a lie is bad. On the other, teen pregnancy is a real problem and bringing up a discussion and real feelings about it are a good thing.

    Report Post » MontanaRob  
    • brianhks
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:41am

      The good thing here is that she was able to go through this without being emotionally attached. Talking to her about her experience will be a lot different than talking to a girl that had all the extra hormones at the same time.

      Report Post »  
    • ZOMBIE JESUS LOVES ME
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 2:22pm

      It’s a real problem nowadays. Back when I was in high school, there was this one girl everyone thought was pregnant, and everyone went out of their way to be extra courteous and helpful to her. I even gave her rides home in a sweet hotrod! (All the pretty girls wanted to ride in my hotrod.)

      Turns out she was just faking for attention. I can’t tell you how upset I was that I gave a liar a ride in my cherry hotrod.

      (Did I mention I had a hotrod?)

      Report Post » ZOMBIE JESUS LOVES ME  
  • conversationcanwork
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:08am

    Shows that even if you don’t like what people do (Underage Pregnancies and such), they still need a strong support group.

    Report Post » LiberalMarine  
    • unsalvageable.org
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:23am

      What about all the attention that she recieved? Positive or negative kids wnat attention. So now some dumb kid is going to get pregnant for real because everyone will pay attention to her and this “experiment”just proved it. http://www.unsalvageable.org

      Report Post »  
    • Taquoshi
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:37am

      Actually, I’m concerned about her boyfriend because in all likeihood, he was suspected of fathering a child and he didn’t. I know he was in on it, but sometimes rumors have a way of coming back to bite you when you least expect it. I guess in this day and age, it’s a sign of manhood, but I‘m not totally convinced it won’t hard this young man down the road.

      Report Post » Taquoshi  
    • Taquoshi
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:38am

      I just noticed that these are the people she convinced:

      who convince all those around her (including her friends, siblings, and even her boyfriends)

      Please note that boyfriend is plural. Not good.

      Report Post » Taquoshi  
    • conversationcanwork
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:38am

      Not necessarily. Actually it showed how hurtful the other people can be to this girl because they thought she was pregnant.

      Report Post » LiberalMarine  
    • MAULEMALL
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:40am

      So she knew how to be a slut they were teaching her to be a lieing slut…

      YAY Amerika

      Report Post » MAULEMALL  
    • the zipper
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:51am

      This is just another progressive action to lower the bar for personal behavior. There should be a stigma attached to teenage pregnancy. To reveal the fact that people gossip and make cruel remark, showing their own lack of personal responsibility, is not justification for this experiment. Two wrongs to not make a right.

      Report Post » the zipper  
    • theonefromabove
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 12:12pm

      That was interesting… lol

      http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos

      Report Post »  
    • LAM2
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 1:02pm

      So once again the message is that the ends justify the means? That lying and deceit are ok if they’re done for a good cause? That we should commit evil such that good can result? Really?????

      Report Post »  
    • APatriotFirst
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 2:10pm

      “The closest people to me were mad at first, they felt lied to, betrayed,”
      ——————————————————————————————————

      Can’t understand why just because you DID lie and betrayed their trust, they would be upset. I find this entire school project a bit sick.

      Report Post »  
    • No1YaKnow
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 4:43pm

      What a stupid experiment. She did this to see how she would be treated? I guess the good news is, that some people STILL think the downside is worth talking about. Our schools have gone out of their way to support these kids in a way that glorifies it rather than points out the reality of what happens to your life once the baby comes. My mother was 17 in the 60′s when she became pregnant—it was a horrible time for her and I don’t think things should be as harsh as they were for her then…..my grandparents chose NOT to send her away and supported her. But they also made it clear that she would raise her child and that her childhood was over. These days, they are coddled, provided nurseries, and their friends “envy” them. Shows glorify it, it’s insane. Add this to the fact that most kids don’t believe oral sex is sex and that casual sex is a way of life and you get what you get. Let’s not forget all the Hollywood celebrities who decided to make it a trend to accessorize with a baby before marrying.

      Report Post » Marci  
    • Lemon47
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 10:04am

      Well they wouldn‘t need a support group if they’d made the right decision to start with.

      Report Post » Lemon47  
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