Did you hear? A 10 year old girl has given birth in Spain this week (don't believe me? Google it!). And her mother is thrilled. Apparently, the girl is from Romania and is part of a group of gypsies who marry very young, before they are legally allowed to marry. So this 10 year old had "married" a 13 year old boy and became pregnant. Now, they are going to be parents, and the mother is thrilled and said they are all doing well. Thrilled, hmm? Interesting....
I just wonder how a 10 year old even begins to conceive of being a mother. Think back to your own 10 year old self. I think I had trouble even remembering to brush my teeth consistently when I was 10 years old. The thought of me being responsible for another human being at that age is SCARY. Responsibility did not equal me back then; ask my parents. I also just wonder what the heck the poor girl thought about sex at that age. I mean really, wouldn't she have been scared to death? I go to an elementary school and talk about puberty with their 4th graders. I remember a 4th grade girl tentatively raising her hand, after I had shown the video and described menstrual cycles and reproduction, and asking, "Just because my body is ready to do all of that, does that mean I have to start doing it?" NOOOO!!! I think was my response. And, "As a matter of fact, I recommend that none of you do this for a very long time, because you won't be ready for awhile." But hey, with this group of people, they'd be ready next week! Again, SCARY.
I am all about cultural diversity and understanding others who are different from you. But really, 10 years old for a child to be giving birth - and to be married? Just because bodies are ready to do all of that doesn't mean minds, and hearts, and heads, and souls are ready. We don't live in the cave man days anymore; we aren't on the verge of extinction. We will have plenty of people to populate the earth. And if we have 10 year olds having babies, then we will OVER-populate the earth in no time. Why the rush? I understand why our bodies had to be ready to reproduce early, but the same urgency is not there now. So come on Romanian gypsies, can we PLEASE slow down? There are so many other things 10 year olds could be doing. And being a mom doesn't even make the top 100.
Showing posts with label birth rates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birth rates. Show all posts
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
US Teen Birth Rate Declines
A new article from the Washington Post highlights the teen birth rate has decreased 2% since it increased 3% in 2006. Confusing as it sounds, the good news is that the teen pregnancy rate is no longer INCREASING, which was a huge, growing concern (no pun intended!). To read the full article, click here.
So what does this mean? For us in Ashland County, it doesn't mean much because our rate has continued to go down since 2006, after a brief but significant spike. We already knew our rate was decreasing (to our lowest rate ever of 36 births to teens in 2009), but it is nice to see the rate start decreasing across the country again. With all of the attention teen pregnancy has seen lately, through shows like MTV's 16 and Pregnant, The Pregnancy Pact on Lifetime, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and MTV's Teen Mom, I was beginning to wonder if the media was in fact perpetuating this increase without even realizing it! Luckily, I think we see this is not the case - but it does beg the question: is there ever a danger with too much information, with too much exposure? Does presenting all of this content make it somehow more acceptable and therefore condone it? I don't know. What I do know is giving ACCURATE and REALISTIC information is the best way to get a message across. Obviously, The Pregnancy Pact was an drama exaggerated from a real-life situation. Even though the movie bore little resemblance to the actual story, it still portrayed itself as being close to the "truth". At least with MTV's programs, they are able to show bits and pieces of the real-life stories of these girls: the ups, the downs, and the heartbreaks and disappointments.
Ah, more to come another day on the new season of 16 and Pregnant. Until then, read the Washington Post article and surmise your own thoughts as to why: 1. the teen pregnancy rate went up; and 2. why it has now come back down. Here's to an even lower rate for 2010!
So what does this mean? For us in Ashland County, it doesn't mean much because our rate has continued to go down since 2006, after a brief but significant spike. We already knew our rate was decreasing (to our lowest rate ever of 36 births to teens in 2009), but it is nice to see the rate start decreasing across the country again. With all of the attention teen pregnancy has seen lately, through shows like MTV's 16 and Pregnant, The Pregnancy Pact on Lifetime, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and MTV's Teen Mom, I was beginning to wonder if the media was in fact perpetuating this increase without even realizing it! Luckily, I think we see this is not the case - but it does beg the question: is there ever a danger with too much information, with too much exposure? Does presenting all of this content make it somehow more acceptable and therefore condone it? I don't know. What I do know is giving ACCURATE and REALISTIC information is the best way to get a message across. Obviously, The Pregnancy Pact was an drama exaggerated from a real-life situation. Even though the movie bore little resemblance to the actual story, it still portrayed itself as being close to the "truth". At least with MTV's programs, they are able to show bits and pieces of the real-life stories of these girls: the ups, the downs, and the heartbreaks and disappointments.
Ah, more to come another day on the new season of 16 and Pregnant. Until then, read the Washington Post article and surmise your own thoughts as to why: 1. the teen pregnancy rate went up; and 2. why it has now come back down. Here's to an even lower rate for 2010!
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