May is

National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

There has

been quite a bit of publicity over the latest statistics

which show a decline in the pregnancy and birth rates

among American teen females.

In fact,

the Georgia birth rate for teenagers 15-19 years old

declined 14 percent between 1990 and 1998. It is felt

that this decline is due to: a.) Fewer teens engaging in

sexual activity. b.) Greater use of contraceptives by

those teens who are sexually active.

News like

this makes it very easy for us to come to the mistaken

conclusion that teen pregnancy is no longer a problem. On

the contrary: in Georgia, 18,181 babies were born to

girls between the ages of 10 and 19 in 1998. Of those

18,181 babies, 449 were born to girls under 15. The fact

is that Mother's Day still comes far too soon for too

many of Georgia's female teens. One in every five becomes

pregnant before her 18th birthday. It seems that with all

of our economic and technological expertise, the United

States still has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any

industrialized county. *

Fayette

County statistics for 1997 (latest statistics available)

show that there were 60 births to teen mothers between 10

and 19, and 49 induced abortions for that same age group.

These numbers, again, paint a picture that may not

accurately reflect the actual number of cases. Because of

the mobility and financial status enjoyed by a large

proportion of the community, some of those numbers may by

lost. Teens can go out of the county to have abortions

performed. Although the consequences and social stigma of

an out-of- wedlock pregnancy is avoided, the cost to the

teen's psychological well-being may not manifest itself

until later.

What kind

of future can the teenage mother expect? Experience and

research tell us that young women who give birth before

graduating high school are less likely to complete their

educations. Lower educational levels in turn lead to poor

employment opportunities and increase the likelihood that

the mother and her child will struggle economically.

Almost 80

percent of teen mothers eventually find themselves on

state aid. Teen fathers were found to earn an average of

$3,400 a year less than fathers of children born to

mothers who were 20 or 21. Teen fathers also were found

to use alcohol and engage in other delinquent behaviors

at a higher rate. We also know that where there is

poverty, and dreams and hopes are stifled, there is

frustration and anger. The negative impact on self-esteem

and self-determination can be devastating.

The

consequences for the children of adolescent mothers are

even greater. The odds are stacked against these young

ones before birth. Many of them are born prematurely and

are of low birth weight, putting them at greater risk for

blindness deafness, chronic respiratory problems, mental

retardation, mental illness and cerebral palsy. As they

grow, they tend to have more medical problems than

children of older mothers, but receive medical care at

only half the rate of their counterparts.

These

children are less likely to grow up in homes with

fathers, more likely to suffer abuse and neglect or have

difficulty in school, and are more likely to become high

school dropouts and teen parents.

Most teens

find it very difficult just to manage the everyday

stresses of school (performance pressure, SAT's,

scholarships, athletic competition, developing a sense of

self-awareness and personal boundaries, planning for the

future), and the typical angst of not being considered an

adult; yet not being a child either. Add today's media

mix that constantly bombards us with conflicting images

and values and smothers us with information overload, and

a frenzied, frantic pace of life that barely allows us

time to stop for one moment lest we miss some golden

opportunity, and we find all the right ingredients for

teens to make the wrong decisions.

It is now

just as important as it has always been for parents to

talk to their children about postponing sexual

involvement and planning positive futures. It continues

to be important for programs that touch the lives of

adolescents and teens to be able to support parental

guidance by collaborating to help teenagers postpone

sexual activity and parenthood, avoid sexually

transmitted diseases and pregnancy, and gain the

education and skills they need to plan healthy,

productive futures.

It is also

important for communities to embrace those who have

already become teen parents. These families need

encouragement, guidance and resources as well to

successfully make it past the statistics and on to

achieving, and providing a better life for themselves and

their children.