By: Rick Machado

Rick Machado — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:40:02 +0000

Ms. Turner writes a better than average article about teen pregnancy, especially the part about the emotional side of early sex. However, there are some points that are misleading, although unintentional, and need clarification.

There is no reliable data to support a pregnancy pact in Gloucester that I know of. The principal was fired and isn’t talking. And everyone seems to focus on 17 girls getting pregnant and not on why they choose pregnancy over a different life.

Second, kids learn less about sex today because of the rise of the “teen mom” . She bacame a figurehead of all that was evil about women, sexuality, loose morals, lack of virtue and so on. Starting in the late 70’s, into Reagan, but really Bill Clinton was the one who held the teen mom up to be crucified. AFLA passed in 1981, designed not to reduce pregnancy or disease, but to keep young people from having sex. Thus was born abstinence education.

Third, abstinence education is not designed to reduce pregnancy. It’s designed to keep teens from having sex . It will never work to reduce pregnancy because teen pregnancy isn’t about sex.

Fourth, most parents do a very poor job teaching their kids about sex. Relying on them is a very unsound strategy. Mostly, it’s because they say one thing and do another. We need more experienced teachers, as well as a shift in thinking that somehow sex is “bad”, or “dangerous”. Driving kills more teens than anything- more than the next 9 things combined. But you don’t see us teaching teens to abstain from driving.

Fifth, teen pregnancy has nothing to do with raging hormones. It has nothing to do with sex.

Lastly, the idea that a teen may feel shame after sex has nothing to do with reducing the teen birth rate (TBR). Sure, it may be true in some cases. And Ms. Turner’s point about including it in sex ed is smart. But the sex has nothing to do with a teen choosing pregnancy and giving birth.

The TBR is a complex mix of dynamics that include poverty, sex abuse, early sexualization, the adult birth rate, violent and chaotic households, economic attraction to older males, lack of repreductive health care, educational failure, lack of competing choices, male abandonment, and the uncomfortable truth that having a child as a teen is often a good choice.

In other words, teen pregnancy is an adult created, adult perpetuated problem. No teen can solve it, only adults. It never was a teen problem, ever. Teens are forced into social corners, and pregnancy is often times one of their responses.

Thanks for chance to speak

Rick Machado
Machado Farms
Public Speaker on Teen Pregnancy

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By: Rick Machado