Key Leaders Hear about Teen Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy and its effects on the community was the topic if the key leader forum held last Thursday at Monticello Presbyterian Church.

Valerie Hicks, District Coordinator for Adolescent Health & Youth Development, gave a rousing talk on the subject, while encompassing a number of social ills. She stressed how important it is to value every person, because each person is part of what makes up a community.

Ms. Hicks said the number one cause of poverty in this country is children born to single parent families. The outcomes of poverty include poor health, increased risk of child abuse/neglect, lack of stability, poor educational achievement, increased delinquency, and early childbearing (the cycle repeats). Ms. Hicks said one in five children lives in poverty.
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She said that 80 percent of teen mothers are on welfare and only 13 percent graduate from high school. After citing numerous statistics outlining what a problem teenage pregnancy is, Ms. Hicks said that the problem is not teenagers getting pregnant…the problem is teenagers having sex.

She said parents must talk to their children about sex, educate them, and work to stop the cycle.

She cited the costs to society if the cycle is not broken. She said that this country has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the world.
Ms. Hicks urged each person there to get involved and help find solutions. Many were shocked by one of the last statistics Ms. hicks quoted—she said 84 Jasper County girls had babies out of wedlock in 2005.

There were questionnaires on the tables to offer input on how to help with the problem, and Family Connection will follow up with suggestions at the next meeting.

At Thursday’s forum, Tameka Gude was introduced as the new director of Family Connection.