Unwed pregnancies are exceedingly rare in Amish communities. Typically, no sex education is allowed, but the family and community are very successful at preventing pregnancies outside of wedlock.
If an Amish girl gets pregnant before marriage, she and the boy she got pregnant with are considered married and a shotgun-wedding takes place to restore their standing within the community. The two are also shunned from the community for a while to repent for their sins.
It doesn’t matter if the boy was officially interested in another girl from the community. He marries the girl he got pregnant.
Amish individuals that had pre-marital sexual intercourse cannot have a traditional Amish wedding. The shotgun wedding ceremony differs from a regular wedding ceremony and can vary depending on the community.
For instance, in some communities, the newlyweds are allowed to host a meal for the guests, while in others, this part may be omitted.
Generally, the church leaders will come to the house of the girl and marry them privately.
In some communities, if two unmarried individuals are caught engaging in inappropriate behavior but she doesn’t get pregnant, they may face shunning as a consequence.
Some communities allow the two to have a shotgun wedding before shunning them together for a few weeks or a month as a punishment for their misbehavior.
Other communities don’t even let them have a shotgun wedding and immediately shun them temporarily. So, they shun them first, and then they allow them back into the community to have the shotgun wedding.