Teen Pregnancy and Black History Month: Training A Child

Teen Pregnancy and Black History Month

February 18,2011

According to Proverbs 22:6 - Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not turn from it.

Black History Month is a time for celebration and reflection of the collective progress of African-Americans. It is also a time for a renewed commitment to keep African-Americans moving forward in every aspect of American life. However, the current status of teen and unplanned pregnancy among African-Americans is one area in which the progress made by African-Americans has stalled and is contributing to the increasing number of black single parent families, high school drop-outs, high unemployment and generational poverty.

You may have heard recently – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data late last year – that teen births declined 6% in 2009 and are now at the lowest level since this data was first tracked 70 years ago. That’s true, and such progress is certainly something for the nation to be proud of. In fact, the overall teen pregnancy rate declined by more than one-third between 1990 and 2006. Think about that. Imagine if 1/3 of smokers quit or 1/3 of obese Americans got fit – this is a remarkable achievement. And, African-American teens led the way. The pregnancy rate among black teen girls decreased even more -- 44 percent between 1990 and 2006.

But it’s not time to celebrate. Yet, still half of black teen girls get pregnant before age 20.

Since the early 1990s, black teens have seen impressive declines in sexual activity and equally impressive improvements in contraceptive use, according to data from the CDC. However, this progress has stalled in recent years. At present, nearly two-thirds of all black teens have had sex and almost half are sexually active (that is, they have had sex in the past three months). Although more than six in ten sexually active black teens used a condom the last time they had sex, this proportion has decreased in the past decade. Black students are more likely than their white and Latino peers to report that they are sexually active, have had multiple sexual partners (4 or more), and had sex for the first time before age 13. The pregnancy rate among black teens is similar to that of Latinas, and is nearly three times higher than the rate for white teens.

But teen pregnancy is 100% preventable. Either don’t have sex or use protection every time. Sounds easy. But getting teens to commit to one of those two options is complicated. Something that has been proven to make a difference is the involvement of parents. Teens say their parents most influence their decisions about sex. Not their friends, not the media. Parents.

So, parents as you celebrate Black History Month and share the accomplishments and achievements of the past, remind your children that their future success is based upon completing high school and post-secondary education, securing a well-paying job, and properly preparing for the birth of a child to whom they will pass on the rich legacy of African-Americans. A too early pregnancy and dropping out of school to care for a child can limit the paths to success and make life harder than it needs to be. Use this month to talk about your children’s history and their future.













By: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Source: BlackAmericaWeb.com