TEEN PREGNANCY
*Kendal Piatt, in the excerpt reproduced below, relied heavily on an article by Kathrine Ames and Marcus Mabry, discovered in the January 20, 1992 issue of Newsweek, to bring us good news about the success of Maryland's programs to curb teen pregnancy:
"In a Baltimore middle school a sign reads,'A baby costs $474 a month, how much do you have in your pocket?' A picture shows a 'grim' young man holding an infant. 'Thanks to a broad array of programs--from poster campaigns to hip drop-in health centers--Maryland's effort to get kids not to have kids is paying off.' The state has an 'alarmingly high' teen-pregnancy rate, but the Governor's Council on Adolescent Pregnancy, formed in 1987 to reduce it, recently announced some great statistics. The number of pregnancies among Maryland girls under 18 fell 13 percent between 1988 and 1990.' Maryland [takes] a variety of approaches to [its] teen pregnancy problem. Money for projects comes from private and public sources. 'There are community-based efforts to involve parents; incentive grants help local programs. The state also targets both genders' They send coaches and other men of influence to talk to boys instead of putting the whole 'burden' on girls. The most high-profile statewide program, Campaign for Our Children, is in Maryland. It involves using class lesson plans and advertising to encourage abstinence among 9 to 14 year-olds. 'Its most arresting image: a billboard with the word VIRGIN spelled out in 10-foot high letters, and a tag line: Teach your kids it's not a dirty word.' Lemmel Middle School used to have four seventh-grade pregnancies a year. After the program began it had none. There are many facilities set up to help pregnant women. One that I'm familiar with is the Tri-City Pregnancy Center. They give free pregnancy tests, have counselors set up to discuss options, give you ideas to break the news to parents and give solutions other than abortion." Kendal Piatt, Kiona-Benton High School, Benton City, Washington
"In my community, teenagers are encouraged to protect themselves from getting pregnant. If they do become pregnant, they are encouraged to stay in school and go out and make a good living for themselves." Sarah Flanagan,Walters High School, Walters, Oklahoma
"Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy (PAP) is a successful program introduced in 1983 to help low income teens avoid cycles of early pregnancy, poverty, and hopelessness." Didi Andrew, Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois
"A single lady named Marie is 65 years old. She now travels from house to houseŠ[talking] to teenage girls who are pregnant. She not only counsels them, but also teaches them how to care for a child. She checks on each of her girls periodically, offering them the love and support that is lacking in many of their lives." Angelina J. Morrow, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
"Programs such as Sex Respect are a definite yes in the fight to curb teen sexual activity. These programs are based upon abstinence and get their message across by listing ways humans are different from animals, having multiple-choice questions on what situations put pressure on teems to have sex, and making bumper stickers that say, "CONTROL YOUR URGINS', BE A VIRGIN." I feel that these programs, and those like them, should be instituted along with programs that deal with the emotional aspect of sex, in order to help the most in the fight against the problem of teen sex." Chris Sanchez, David Crockett High School, Austin, Texas
"Our local church was involved in a True Love Waits program. We went through the benefits of abstinence and at the end of the training signed commitment cards and donated $2. The program became a national non- denominational program involving churches all over the United States. The $2 goes to purchasing pages in a national magazine with everybody's name, who signed a commitment card, listed. This was done to show the nation that teenagers are strong enough to control their desires and want to make a difference. So far there are an estimated 500,000 participants." Kendal Piatt, Kiona-Benton High School, Benton City, Washington
*More than 100,000 participants in the True Love Waits program pledged to avoid sex before marriage in June 1994 at a meeting in Orlando, Florida. There is a similar program in Atlanta that uses older teens to encourage eighth graders to say no to sex before marriage. Baltimore has its own program called Best Friends, and Peer Power in Washington D.C. targets even younger children. These are all programs that need and deserve our support.
"Teens who are pregnant or have children...travel around to schools and tell their stories...hop[ing] that [their audience] will learn from the bad experiences of others." Angelina J. Morrow, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
"Another solution is the HUG project. It stands for Human Growth and Development. It is the umbrella title used in the Wisconsin Public School Systems for the K-12 grade program. It teaches about 'growing up.' Its purpose is to increase knowledge of and respect for human fertility. It promotes chastity and abstinence." Tracy Poknifke, DeForest High School, DeForest, Wisconsin
*President Clinton wants to establish a new agency called the Office of Adolescent Health which would address teen pregnancy, AIDS, teen suicide and drug abuse. So far programs to distribute condoms in schools, operate sex clinics, fund abortions or convince girls to use Norplant have not made a dent in the problem. The most recent proposal to reduce welfare benefits to teenage mothers may also be inadequate. Many young people believe the solution lies in teenagers becoming aware of the consequences of their actions and deciding on their own to be a constructive rather than a destructive force in society. The decision to postpone sexual activity until marriage must come from young people themselves.
*High school students in Carlsbad, California have an unique opportunity
to discover what early parenting might be like. Baby Think-It-Over is a
doll which boys and girls can check out for a period of time. Baby Think-
It-Over is the brain-child of a former aero-space engineer who developed
the doll to give teens a realistic experience of living with a newborn.
Baby-Think-It-Over wakes up in the middle of the night and cries like
a regular baby. A key is provided which turns the crying off, just as a
feeding does. The doll is also programmed to need diaper changes
frequently. Students in Carlsbad can be seen taking Baby Think-It-Over
to classes, something that is a required part of the program. Students
find the experience is nothing like baby-sitting. There is no escape
from the responsibility. Baby Think-It-Over is with them continuously,
24 hours a day. Like a real baby, the doll chang