Prevent Teen Pregnancy: » Know the facts. » Get involved.

» How do I feel while lying under him?/
Blinded by the love or the deep feelings I have for him.
(--poem by a teen mother)

» "I got pregnant at the age of 14 and had no clue what to do..."

» "Get up, take her to school, go to work, pick her up, bathe her, feed her. Then it's just the same thing over again."

» "I have 3 jobs now, and spend most of my money on food, diapers, and child needs. To all teens thinking about having sex, don't make the same mistake I did."

» "...I love my son more than anything in the world, but it would have been a lot better if this had happened when I was like 27 instead of 17."

Quotes courtesy National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

 KNOW THE ISSUES

	NOISEmaker tracie8806 says, "I know someone who had tried everything, condoms, birth control, etc., and they still got pregnant. Just because that is what protection is for, doesn't mean it always works. . ." Did you know that protection isn't 100% guarunteed?

"Alright, alright I get it. But I don't know any teen mothers, what are the real numbers?"
You don't know one girl who had a baby in her teens? Unlikely. The fact is: Every hour, 52 teenage girls become mothers. That means, every hour 52 guys become fathers to children whose mothers are at risk for dropping out of school, domestic abuse and poverty.

"Rate of teen pregnancy? Rate of teen births? What's the difference?"
The rate of teen pregnancy is the percentage of teens who actually conceive or get pregnant. Not every pregnancy results in a teen birth, which is...the number of girls who actually give birth to children.

"Got it. So didn't YOUTH NOISE just tell us that teen pregnancy and teen births were down?"
You're very observant. We sure did. The number of teenager girls who become pregnant every year is falling and so is the number of girls who actually give birth. We told you about it before in Teen Pregnancy Rate Down...and that's awesome news!

But the numbers are still too high for a developed nation like ours. We told you about that, too (see Teen Pregnancy Rate Higher in U.S. Than Other Western Nations). While the United States has about 46 teen births for every 1,000 girls, France and Sweden have 10.

"I know abstinence is the only guaranteed way to prevent pregnancy, but really what are my chances here?"
Think about it: Let's say you go to an average size high school, say 1200 kids. That means that 4 out of every 10 girls you see nearly every day could have babies before they celebrate their 20th birthday.

		• Rikki Lake has 10 reasons for talking about teen pregnancy. • Meet Scott, he became a dad at 14.

--By Heather Keets Wright