Teenage motherhood is a hot button issue that continues to disproportionately impact Black teenagers. Adolescent pregnancy has been debated in public and private arenas by legislators, child welfare experts, policy advocates and educators.
According to the latest Texas Adolescent Health Report (TAHR), Texas teenagers are having babies at a rate 46% higher than the national average.
Texas has one of the highest teen birth rates in the nation and the highest rate of repeat teen pregnancies. More than one in six teenagers who gave birth in Texas in 2020 already had a child.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that for every 1,000 girls aged 15-19 in the state, 25.3 will give birth.
There are adverse educational, economic and health outcomes for teens who give birth. And now more than ever, especially in this post Roe vs. Wade world, it’s important to learn what new challenges are ahead, and what solutions are provided to improve the mother’s academic success.
Importance of prevention
Pregnancy and birth are significant contributors to high school dropout rates among girls. Only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22 years of age compared to nearly 90% of women who don’t give birth during adolescence, according to the CDC. The largest percentages of teen pregnancies are common among minorities.
Teen births can disrupt a young mother’s educational and career goals, impact their earning potential, and the future finances. Health experts also say that children born to teen parents are more likely to enter into welfare, correctional systems, have lower school achievements, or even drop out of high school and become teen parents, as well.
Stigmas and mental health
Teen mothers are often stigmatized for violating parenting age norms. The stigma doesn’t only happen in school settings, but also when seeking pre-natal and pediatric care for their child(ren) or themselves.
When you add identifying factors such as socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and race, it can lead to serious health inequities for these young girls.
Isolation and stress can have negative effects on the body and health of the child. This can also cause the teenager to withdraw from seeking help. Medical research states teen mothers have more obstetric complications due to their underdeveloped pelvis.
Causes
Adverse childhood environments, bad parenting, and lack of proper education are a few major causes behind teen pregnancy.
“I wouldn’t necessarily refer to teen pregnancy as a problem, it’s a natural act of life,” said J.R Chester, program director for Healthy Futures of Texas. “It’s a natural consequence of sexual activity. Human beings are sexual being. That’s how we populate the world.
“Why young people are unintentionally getting pregnant is because of lack of education, lack of access to resources, stigma, and shame.”
Chester said she remembered a time when she wanted to take a pregnancy test to confirm if she was having a child. She went to a local Walmart by her place of employment and noticed that all the products were locked up. As a grown married adult with children, she felt “ashamed and stigmatized” and empathized with youth who feel that there are barriers to access of contraceptives that protect them from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
“I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what policies you make, you can’t stop human beings from doing what they are innately designed to do,” said Chester. “This is not just unique to teens; this is a human issue, as well.”
Dr. Anitra Beasley, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine, agrees that it is very natural to explore your sexuality as a teen, but there is a difference between having sex, and having to take care of a child.
“How developed are you as a 13-year-old, for example, to take care of someone else? Is that child’s mind ready for this responsibility,” she said. “How is this decision going to impact your overall mental and emotional health and wellbeing?”
Government legislation: Hindrance or helping?
Texas has one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation and doesn’t require sex education in schools. If you are a minor in Texas, you must have parental consent for birth control.
Title X clinics were considered a good alternative for teenage girls seeking birth control pills at a low cost or without charge, and without having to seek permission from their parents. But in December 2022, a federal judge ruled that such clinics violated Texas state laws and federal constitutional rights, and cut off an important resource for young women across the state.
In 2022, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 8, a pro-life law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, when a fetal cardiac activity can be detected, but well before most women realize they’re pregnant.
Research shows teens everywhere are having sex. High-risk youth are not being connected with contraception services.
Texas makes it difficult for teenagers to get reproductive health care.
Dr. Beasley says with the tough state legislation, access to abortions will be a challenge for teens.
“It’s a big deal for an adult to get out of the state for an abortion, can you imagine a teen? If you have the opportunity to talk to adolescents and older teens about sex, it’s important to start having these conversations before they start considering to have sex or when the parent or guardian feel it’s appropriate,” said Beasley. “Dispel myths about different types of contraception. Building trust is key to help navigate and decided the best care possible for the child.”
Strategies and approaches for prevention
There is a discomfort regarding the topic of adolescent sexuality in the US. Not only does it play out in politics, but it is also displayed in more conservative and religious views.
Ingrid Baker-Erhahon is the principal at Richard Milburn Academy in Pasadena. The Academy is a dropout recovery campus with student ages ranging from 14-25. She works with the school counselor to build rapport with their students around the topic of sex and pregnancy prevention.
“We want our students to be comfortable and transparent about their feelings while learning how they can proactively address the situation and what the case scenarios are,” she said. “We also develop community partnerships to educate our students on resources that are available, and counseling services. We have students who are primary care givers in their homes and this information will keep them from further delaying them from achieving their long-life goals.”
Civic Heart Community Services is a non-profit organization located in Third Ward that provides holistic programs and services to vulnerable and disadvantage populations. One of their signature programs is Teens Making A Choice (TMAC), a teen pregnancy prevention program that targets African American and Hispanic youth ages 15-19.
“Even though the national rates have declined, our youth are still exposed to risky behaviors. Starting them off early and having conversations about prevention of risky behaviors also leads us to talk about healthy relationships,” said Kelva Clay, program manager at TMAC. “We focus on sexual risk avoidance education. We focus on goal setting for our youth, exposing them to positive alternative activities, and refusal skills in the case they are put into positions they shouldn’t be in.”
Healthy Futures of Texas has several programs that provide access to free reproductive healthcare such as women wellness checks, birth control and STI screenings.
“There are three really important programs. One is called Healthy Texas Women, The Family Planning Program, and one is called Title 10,” said Jen Biundo, senior director of policy and research for Healthy Futures of Texas. “All three programs provide totally free reproductive healthcare for people [who] have an income of 250% of the federal poverty level or below.”
Teen Birth Rate
| Harris County | Texas | |
|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 26.0 | 28.2 |
| Black | 21.8 | 22.3 |
| White | 8.1 | 11.7 |
| Asian | 1.6 | 1.5 |
TEEN BIRTH RATE DATA FOR HARRIS COUNTY
- The Harris County teen birth rate is 2% below the Texas rate but 43% above the national rate.
- The teen birth rates for 2021 represent pregnancies that took place after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In Harris County, a baby was born to a teen mother every 3 hours in 2021.
- There were 3,236 births to teens aged 15-19 in Harris County and 59 births to girls aged 10-14.
- One out of every seven teen births in Texas (15%) occurs in Harris County.
- In Harris County, 16% of teen births are to teens who already have at least one child.
