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Georgia: Paying the price of teenage pregnancy

By: Mike O'Neal
(Contact)

Included in this article

Angie Robinson

The Georgia Department of Human Resources can place a dollar amount on the direct cost — $2.8 million in 2004 — of teen pregnancies to Walker County taxpayers, but officials say the true cost is far greater.

Beyond the cost of public health care services, an unwanted teen pregnancy often compels mothers to withdraw from school in the near term. Long-term, the mother and child are at risk of living in poverty, needing public assistance and facing problems associated with a single-parent household.

“We are aware of teen pregnancies in Walker County, in Georgia and in states across the country,” said Melissa Mathis, superintendent of Walker County Schools.

“We are concerned for the students and families involved, as research shows unplanned pregnancies can be a factor both in the teen dropping out of school before graduation and in creating economic hardships for the young mother,” Ms. Mathis said.

Seeing a marked increase in the unmarried teen pregnancy rate, a task force is working to determine how best to reverse, or at least slow, this trend, according to Angie Robinson, of the Georgia Department of Human Resources.

A NEVER-ENDING STORY

“Teen pregnancy never stops, every year you have a whole new group,” said Ms. Robinson, the Rome-based district youth development coordinator for Northwest Georgia. “Part of the trend may be because we got comfortable with declining pregnancy rates. We thought we were doing enough.”

The teen birth rate in Georgia declined 30 percent between 1991 and 2004, saving taxpayers an estimated $227 million in 2004 alone, and Walker County showed an even greater decline as the teen pregnancy rate fell 32 percent during that time.

The $2.8 million cost to taxpayers for 2004 was when the county reported 34.1 pregnancies per 1,000 teens. Pregnancies among girls ages 15 to 17 have been steadily rising since then.

The rate of pregnancies in Walker County for girls 15-17 went from 34.1 in 2004 up to 38.3 pregnancies in 2005, and to 44.3 per 1,000 teens in that age group in 2006, according to DHR reports.

“The teen pregnancy rates had been declining in Walker County for several years, but have increased over the past couple of years,” Ms. Robinson said. It is time to take another look at this issue, the costs to the community, and to review possible solutions based upon the most recent scientific research on what really works to prevent teen pregnancies.”

Andrea Sharpe, training coordinator for the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, recently told a group of community leaders that “20 years ago we didn’t have data to evaluate what does or does not work” but that has changed.

Data drives planning

“Evidence shows abstinence-only programs are not keeping the pregnancy rate from climbing,” she said.

Reasons for teens being sexually active — too much free time, lack of information, a desire for intimacy — are risk factors, not reasons for the rising pregnancy rate, Ms. Sharpe said.

“Sexual behavior is what causes pregnancy,” she said.

Strategies to change teen behavior — to convince them to postpone initial sexual activity, to reduce the frequency of sex, to reduce the incidence of having unprotected sex and the increased use of condoms and contraceptives — will add a layer of protection, Ms. Sharpe said.

“If we do anything other than address their behavior, the pregnancy rate will not go down,” she said.

To make effective changes in Walker County will require a partnership between the public health department, churches, parents, schools — and most importantly — teenagers, Ms. Sharpe said.

Every child is at risk, but some are at greater risk than others, Walker County Juvenile Court Judge Bryant Henry said.

“Children in strong families may be at less risk, but every child is at risk,” he reiterated. “One approach is not going to be successful for all, but each child can be reached. That can happen if the various outreach groups tailor their offerings to particular groups of teens.”

community unity key

Helping teens helps the whole community and will require everyone working toward a common goal, public health officials said.

“Research has shown that talking about part of the consequences of pregnancy involves teaching resistance skills — learning how to say no —but it also includes telling all residents about what is available, both in information and in programs,” Ms. Robinson said. “What we are trying to get away from is a 10-year fight over how to address the problem,” she said.

Since formation this spring, the teen pregnancy task force members are attempting to agree on how to best serve Walker County, according to Janice Pardue, program manager for Walker County Teen Resource Center, a DHR program .

“Our goal is to keep kids in school, decrease the pregnancy rate and keep kids out of the juvenile justice system,” she said. “It is time to start doing something different.”

Nancy Lance, Walker County Schools’ director of curriculum, said the school district is pleased to participate in the task force.

“It will take time and collaboration to create effective plans of action for each of the community-based organizations committed to addressing this issue,” she said. “It is too early to report what part the school district will play in the combined effort.”

The schools will be deeply involved in the planning and implementing the task force’s strategic plans, she said.

“Everybody has to work together as a community to help reach that goal,” Ms. Robinson said.

“This is a process that requires more than a Band-Aid approach. It will not be cured overnight.”

E-mail Mike O’Neal at moneal@timesfreepress.com

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