I had no idea that today, May 6, is National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. And I wouldn't have known if I hadn't stumbled upon Jane Fonda's awesome article about it in today's Huffington Post.
It's so sad that the US still ranks #1 in teen pregnancy and birth rates. That's another thing I wouldn't have known. One stat that Jane mentions in her article that really caught me is that 1 in 3 girls will become pregnant before reaching the age of 20. Yikes. And over 2,000 teens give birth every single day! I can't help but think of my own daughters and their friends, and that statistic flat out makes me cringe.
On top of this, the thought of the STD's that all of our young girls are contracting really makes my stomach turn.
So what do we do about it? Read Jane's article and talk about it. Let's keep the conversation going and get it to grow. If you have a daughter, what are doing to keep her from being a statistic? If you're a teen, do these stats worry you?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-fonda/adolescent-pregnancy-must_b_197376.html
All user-generated information on this site is the opinion of its author only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. Members and guests are responsible for their own posts and the potential consequences of those posts detailed in our Terms of Service.
Add a Comment3 Comments
I also just want to add that Planned Parenthood just released their new web site today. It looks awesome and provides great information and resources for teens and their parents.
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/
May 7, 2009 - 2:25pmThis Comment
Coach Virginia, I LOVE your comment. And what your daughter said is beyond brilliant. Kudos to you for being such a fantastic mom, and special kudos to your daughter for being so incredibly enlightened at such a young age. Wow. I've just emailed the link to this conversation to my eldest daughter who is 13.
When my daughter was quite small, only about 3 or 4 years old, I was fixing her breakfast one morning before preschool and out of the blue she commented that she wanted to marry her big brother when she grew up. I told her that, no, she couldn't marry her brother, but that one day she might meet someone who she'd like to marry. She tilted her head to the side and thought about this for a minute and then said that no, that wouldn't be good either. She decided that she wanted to marry herself. I told her that was awesome. Like your daughter, she's not into boyfriends yet, but rather is focused on her relationships with her girlfriends and her schoolwork. I love that and hope she continues on that path at least through high school and maybe even through college.
May 7, 2009 - 10:13amThis Comment
Dear Kristin, I appreciate the post and bringing to the attention of our readers this very important issue. Women have fought for years to liberate themselves from the shackles of societal slavery, where women were good only for ONE thing: SEXUAL PLEASURE.
Our young women today must learn to differenciate freedom and choice from making wrong choices. Teen pregnancy is a prevantable societal condition so why would a young women choose to have unprotected sex knowing the consequences? Is it stupidity, ignorance of consequences or just unmoderated risky behavior? Why would a competent, capable, smart teenager make such a poor choice: having unprotected sex, I mean?
I have a teenage daughter that knows more about this subject than I had wished she knew for someone her age. But as a mother, it was an imperative to prepare her with the information at a very early age so she could make her own choices later on. I am pleased to say that teen pregnancy statistics are taken very seriously by her. She just confided to me that she will NOT waste time with having boyfriends until she is done with college. This is a powerful statement for a beautiful girl who is only a sophmore in high school, but it is her own choice. She realizes the risks are too great and having sex just for the immediate pleasure is not for her at this time in her life. However she also states that she is not free from peer pressure. She states that: "Choosing to have sex as a teen is a misguided attempt to meet the convoluted status quo and fulfill the cloudy paradigm of adulthood. Getting laid, apparently, has become the new right of passage into acceptance." These are her own words as she and I read your posting tonight.
She sees her value as a young woman beyond sexual performance. She believes that young women today are seeking desperately the acceptance of who they are from boyfriends who also being young do not provide enough emotional "fill" to the gaps that exist among them. My daughter has chosen to focus on her intellectual potential. She is busy volunteering in the community, hanging out with other youth in church working at local charities, playing basketball, and focusing on her future academic goals.
EmpowHer has an opportunity to influence young women to value themselves for the potential they are to making the world a better place. This value is not only about having unprotected sex, or bringing new life into this world when these young women are not ready to be mothers, or exposing their young bodies to STDs, it is more than that. It is about given young women to tools to carry on the legacy of greater women in history to make this a better planet for generations to come.
May 6, 2009 - 10:19pmThis Comment