Improved
6112 HealthChanged
3786 LivesSaved
3568 Lives0 lives impacted in the last 24 hrs Learn More
Imagine your daughter and her seven friends came over and you knew that one of them would definitely be pregnant. If your daughter went to Robeson High School in Chicago, this would be the case: of 800 girls, 115 of them are pregnant or have had a child. The one in seven rate is astounding, and there are hundreds of factors that may contribute to the school's pregnancy numbers.
These factors include a lack of access to sexual health education and pregnancy prevention and a lack of access to reproductive health resources. The school's students are largely from poor communities of color where teenage pregnancies can be high. The Principal of Robeson adds that absentee fathers may also be a factor.
At least Robeson is a school in which young women are not being thrown out or transferred to other schools. Principal Morrow notes, "We're looking at how we can get them to the next phase, how can we still get them thinking about graduation?"
So often we may be quick to blame or judge the pregnant girls in the situation, their parents, or other individuals. But Robeson's numbers are a product of a much larger institutional problem - poor reproductive health education in low-income communities. Educational classes and centers need to be set up that normalize and encourage the use of birth control methods and distribute condoms. A teen health center is being built across the street, which is a step in the right direction. But funding needs to be poured into the creation and maintenance of centers such as these so that teenage pregnancy rates go down. The health of young women of color need to be addressed directly so that they aren't struggling to raise children or give birth while trying to graduate from high school.
Add a Comment128 Comments
The problem also stems from the fact that the predominant culture of teenage Americans is centered on sex...with some drugs and basic disrespect for others.
October 23, 2009 - 3:24amThis Comment
If you had a child care room you may be able to encourage the girls to continue with there studies.
October 23, 2009 - 1:35amThis Comment
What does this mean ? "The school's students are largely from poor communities of COLOR where teenage pregnancies can be high."
October 23, 2009 - 1:19amThis Comment
I think they were trying to elaborate on the difference between poor urban communities, such as a Chicago communities of mostly black versus maybe a Mississippi community where the people are still poor but white. Unfortunately, many poor urban communities happen to contain a majority of people of color.
December 20, 2009 - 10:55amThis Comment
Sexual Education DOES help. There's a lot of things kids from poor and minority filled neighborhoods don't know, it goes deeper than just 'If you insert A into B, baby is made.'
There are myths. The 'if you have sex standing up, you can't get pregnant' or 'If you pull out, you can't get pregnant' and such. Not everyone knows the mechanics of sex and there's a lot of misconceptions amongst peers.
I'd bet a pretty penny that none of you know what its like to grow up in low income community. Middle class snobs who don't know how hard it is for us.
Education is the key.
October 22, 2009 - 9:48pmThis Comment
You just lost a pretty penny. I posted the first comment and I grew up with a single mother who always just squeaked by, in a house on the wrong side of town (tho admittedly not exactly a ghetto... it could have been worse). Don't make such absolute assumptions.
Excellent point on peer-disseminated myths though.
October 25, 2009 - 6:30pmThis Comment
its one in eight... ffs
October 22, 2009 - 7:32pmThis Comment
800 divided by 115 equals 6.9565
In my elementary school we learned that when rounding to a whole number, if the number to the right of the decimal point is greater than 4 we round the single digit up by one. Therefore:
October 23, 2009 - 3:31am6.9 -> 7
That's why they say "one in seven"
This Comment
I blame the guy, the girl and the parents. I mean honestly c'mon, if you don't know the circumstances of your actions you are plain ignorant. People these days. Gotta love the world.
October 22, 2009 - 7:05pmThis Comment
no, not "people these days." more like "abstinence-only education these days." yes, maybe they ARE "just plain ignorant," but that's not their fault, it's the fault of years and years of just-say-no sex education, from both schools and parents. adolescents and teens aren't being taught the risks, benefits, consequences, and implications of choosing to have sex. they're being taught "wait until marriage" and "keep your legs crossed." this mentality doesn't at all encompass the vast majority of people who 1. don't wait until marriage to have sex, 2. never get married, or 3. can't get married. not only is this deeply rooted in religious morals, but it's discriminatory and unrealistic. schools and parents should be teaching, as a previous commenter stated, harm reduction - how to use male/female condoms, birth control, how to practice safe oral sex, what to expect, etc. ALONG WITH some things that are already being taught, such as stds, stis, pregnancy, and parenting. giving the whole picture and resources to practice safe sex would DRASTICALLY lower the number of teen pregnancies.
December 21, 2009 - 10:26pmThis Comment