Hispanic teen pregnancy rate at disturbing high

By Jennifer Madeisky

Although national teen pregnancy rates are down, the numbers are up for Hispanics, says the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (CPTP).

Today's statistics show that three out of five Hispanic girls get pregnant at least once by age 20. For all other ethnicities, the average is barely two out of five.

In several states, including California, the teen pregnancy rate among Hispanic girls has nearly doubled since the 1980s. If this trend continues, Hispanics will become the largest minority by 2010.

The Organization for Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting and Prevention, a group dedicated to assisting teens as they deal with these issues, has seen an increase in Latino clientele. Currently, 80 percent of all clients are Latino.

CPTP recently introduced a long-term instruction and awareness effort to support Hispanic parents in helping their adolescents avoid pregnancy. Their focus will be on teaching prevention, abstinence and birth control to both Hispanic teens and their parents.

"Parents have a great influence on their children's sexual decisions, whether they believe it or not," said Sarah Brown, director of the CPTP. Hispanics have the highest dropout rate among all teens and many have not stayed in school long enough to have a single sexual education class. At home, sex is rarely â€" almost never â€" talked about. Without sexual education at school or in the home, it is obvious why Hispanics are having such difficulty lowering their teen pregnancy statistics.

CPTP has formed focus groups around the country and one of the largest is in Los Angeles. The organization said they included a diverse Latino population that included groups from North, Central, South America and Mexico.

They have found that Latino parents do see teen pregnancy as a problem, and would be receptive to information on it. However, many parents do not feel comfortable talking to their children about such issues and are unsure of how to discuss them at home.

The development of this campaign has been a major step in preventing teen pregnancy within the Hispanic community; however, it is not enough. As the Hispanic teen population continues to grow at a rate outstripping all other ethnic groups, it is critical that the problem be addressed immediately.

û Jennifer Madeisky is a freshman.