The following article was written for the Alamogordo Daily News (to be published by them on their new blog):
One day you live alone, the next day you realize you are not anymore. Teenage girls who become pregnant find that their lives suddenly change. In Alamogordo, we have a handful of teen mothers. Some like it and some regret what they did and wonder what they should do next. Either way, chances are most of them are half prepared, if at all, to become a responsible and financially independent parent.
More than 14 million girls aged 15 to 19 years of age gave birth each year between 1995 and 2000 in the world. According to World Health Organization, United States remains as the developed country with the highest rate of adolescent childbearing. It is as low as 4 births per 1,000 adolescents in Japan to as high as 58 in the United States. Despite the decline in teen pregnancy and birth rates in the United States, the country still has much work to do to further reduce the teenage pregnancy rate.
The data from Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit organization that focuses on sexual and reproductive health, indicates that New Mexico is among one of the states that has the highest teenage birthrates in 2000. All these statistics are not very optimistic for parents who are living in New Mexico or the United States. So how is Alamogordo doing? Updated, accurate statistics are not readily available, but with the figures released by New Mexico GRADS, Alamogordo has 67 teenage births (age 14 to 19) in 2005 and the figure seems to be increasing.
Teenage pregnancy is not just a personal choice or issue; it is a social and health concern. Various research, including the one did by National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy indicates that teen mothers are less likely to complete high school and less likely to attend college. Children of teen mothers tend to have lower cognitive development, worse academic outcomes, higher rates of behavioral problems and they themselves will be very likely to become teen mothers again. Young people, aged 15 to 24, represent 25% of the sexually active population but account for about half of all new cases of STD. Adolescents aged 15 to 19 are more likely than matured mothers to die in childbirth.
If you think you will not be affected by teenage pregnancy because you do not have any children, think twice. Teen childbearing cost taxpayers $9.1 billion in 2004.
With all the data I have quoted here, I hope the community is more convinced that it is a social problem that we all should be concerned about.
There are many factors that are known to increase the chances of teens engaging in risky sexual behavior, ranging from media exposure, parenting style, peer influence to the attitudes and values of the teens themselves. Some are hard to change and some can be modified through interventions and education. I can write pages and pages about how the community can influence teens in Alamogordo or New Mexico in general, but this is not the intent of this article. What I want to do is to instigate some renewed interest in the children around us.
You probably recall the sex scandal in Alamogordo High School last month. Some people may say “blame the coach.” Yes, for sure he is one of them to blame, but he may not be the only one. Did the school district that hired the coach do a thorough background and reference check? Did the parents provide appropriate guidance for the teen and notice if something has gone wrong? Did the teen herself know how serious the consequences of casual sex can be?
Who knows if these people are to blame or there may be some other. It is not the time to play the blame game, however. It happened, we learn from the incident and we move on.
For parents, social workers, schools, caregivers, volunteers in youth organizations and anyone who are in constant contact with children: Spend more time with the children, get involved in their activities, listen to what they have to say and detect any irregularities in their behavior or activities. A research conducted by the Council of Economic Advisors shows that those adolescents who did not eat dinner with a parent five or more days a week had dramatically higher rates of smoking, drinking, marijuana use and initiation of sexual activity. As you can see, sometimes it is just as simple as having dinner with your children every day.
Teenage pregnancy is not just a topic for pep talk. It is a topic that we need to think seriously about and to act on quickly. It is a social and health concern for all of us.
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