Babies

Shock, Disappointment Over Jamie Lynn's Pregnancy

By Tim Nudd

12/19/2007 at 02:15 PM EST

Shock, Disappointment Over Jamie Lynn's Pregnancy

Jamie Lynn Spears

JACQUI WONG/LFI

Jamie Lynn Spears's announcement Tuesday that she is pregnant at 16 has generated an immediate groundswell of strong opinion, much of it negative, with many suggesting Spears may have lost all credibility as a teen role model.

The reactions have flooded in from PEOPLE readers and celebrity bloggers. And while some have expressed sympathy for the family's plight, others see the news as a major step back in the fight against teen pregnancy – and are holding Spears, her parents and her employer, Nickelodeon, accountable.

Here are some of the reactions:

• PEOPLE reader Haley P., Melrose, Mass.: "My 11-year-old daughter looks up to girls like Jamie Lynn and Miley Cyrus. Thank goodness she still has Miley."

• PEOPLE reader Heather C., Dallas: "This is a shock to anyone? Where are the role models? ... I blame the parents on this one for not educating their daughters to behave like ladies. I'm originally from Louisiana and am embarrassed that they are from my home state. I feel sorry for them actually. I hope that Nickelodeon cancels her show."

• PEOPLE reader Heather in Worcester, Mass.: "Maybe in the future when parents are thinking of putting their kids in showbiz they will look at this family and think twice. I don't feel sorry for Jamie Lynn, I think what she did was stupid and selfish. I absolutely feel sorry for [her mother] Lynne Spears, she has gone through so much with Britney, and now this."

More on Jamie Lynn

• PEOPLE reader T. Olson in Green Bay, Wis.: "Let her be and let her learn her lesson without the camera in her face [and belly]. I can recall a few years ago when Beyoncé's 17-year-old sister was pregnant [and not married] and no one placed her face on the front of their magazines."

• PEOPLE reader Jessica in Indiana: "I think that everyone should just keep their opinions about Jamie and all the other teen moms to themselves; no sense of making judgments before you even know the person. I support you Jamie Lynn all the way. Good luck with your child and forget all those negative people."

Around the Web

• Perez Hilton: "Dang. We thought Jamie Lynn was the nice and normal one."

• Pink Is the New Blog: "I am so not looking forward to seeing pictures of Jamie Lynn Spears with a baby bump."

• The Superficial: "Well, at least Jamie Lynn Spears has some first-hand experience in how not to raise a child thanks to big sister Brit."

• Defamer: "She's continuing the proud family tradition of ill-advised pregnancies established by infant-fumbling, mothering-impaired older sister Britney."

• Radar magazine: "The response? A comforting hug from her employer Nickelodeon, the cover of OK! magazine, and a portrayal of the events framed in the soft light of an after-school special."

• Bonnie Fuller, columnist, The Huffington Post: "Lynne Spears, what were you thinking? Or not thinking and not doing?"