Sarah Brown - CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, after reports showed that nearly 40% of the babies born in the United States in 2007 were delivered by unwed mothers.
"I wish people spent as much time planning when to get pregnant, with whom, under what circumstances as they do planning their next vacation."These statistics are surprising to me. Of course this information does not tell us what percentage of the 40% were teen mothers, but still it is a surprisingly large number. It would behoove us as a nation to spend time & money teaching our youth how to prevent pregnancies. It does not do just to tell a person to abstain from sex. Precautions must be taken when having sex because just saying "No" does not appear to be doing the trick.
This is another reason to back sex education in schools. Parents must find this topic difficult to address with their children even though home is the natural place to hold the conversation about safe sex, making good choices, and planning. However, in lieu of home, schools can be a safe place to have these discussions. Specially prepared guest teachers, social workers, or health care providers could be brought in to lead these discussions with students while the regular teacher assisted. Options should be shown students. The supposed glamor of pregnancy should be replaced with the reality of it and the after effects. There should be no scare tactics, just plain truth should be offered.
4 comments:
And the worst part about this all is that I know so many wonderful young people in their 30s trying to have children and no luck.
Breaks your heart really.
Love Renee xoxoxo
Yes, it is ironic that a nation like ours would have so many unwanted pregnancies. Many young women who end up pregnant might have had information about prevention and/or safe sex. There are a lot of needs not acknowledged; a lot of emotional and family situations that push girls to want that special relationship with a boy; or the love of a baby all their own. I agree with you that more education can only help; but we must do that and more.
Hear, hear to sex education. And I also support free birth control
Renee is correct - so many people wanting a baby and unable to do so. Doesn't make sense.
Plain truth is definitely the best approach for teen pregnancies and delivered in schools the most practical for society at large. The reality of being a parent is not what most teens would want if they knew what was ahead of them. Their hormones are telling them a different story.
I saw the figure for unmarried mothers in Ireland recently too and it was something similar, however more than one third of those babies were born to parents living at the same address, so I (given I'm one of that number) would be wary of assuming that most of these are teens.
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