May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

The purpose of National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month is to educate young women on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies and reconsider pregnancies that they may be planning. According to Advocates for Youth, teen mothers only have a 60% chance of graduating compared to the 90% that has not had any children. Fortunately teen pregnancy rates have decreased over the years. Researchers attribute 75% of the decline to better knowledge of contraceptives and increased contraceptive use. Caring for a child is a tremendous responsibility and is also very expensive. Advocates for Youth report that nearly 60% of teens who become mothers are living in poverty at the time of birth.

Educate and protect yourself. Become familiar with the different methods of contraceptives and their effectiveness. Check out these organizations for more information:

http://www.sexetc.org/faq/birth_control
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control-4211.htm
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/youth/health/contraceptives/index.htm

Related Films

Maria is faced with a tough decision after finding out she is pregnant in our film “The Choices We Make”.

Samantha is a teenage girl who tries to make sense of the world after finding out that her best friend is pregnant in “Today I Found Out”.