CNY Students Notice Teen Pregnancy Trend

By Sara Sultanik / NCC News

March 23, 2010

Syracuse, N.Y - The most recent statistics show that teen pregnancy is on the rise for the first time in decades.  

The Guttmacher Institute for reproductive and sexual health announced recently that their most recent data, from 2006, indicated that teen pregnancy rates have gone up by three percent.  

But what about in Central New York?

In 2005 there were more than 49,000 teen pregnancies in New York State.  2600 of those were right here in Onondaga County.

Employees at a local social welfare agency have said there are upwards of 250 pregnant and parenting teens currently enrolled within the four Syracuse City high schools.

And according to school officials, fifteen girls at Syracuse’s Nottingham High School are pregnant.

And the Students Notice

Sophomore Kahdejah Jones sat in Ms. Lucia Ashley’s Health 2 sexual education class taking notes on the female and male reproductive system.

Kahdejah knows about teen pregnancy first hand, her sixteen year old friend is a mother of five.

“She already had two and then she got pregnant with three,” said Kahdejah.

Kahdejah also stated that teen pregnancy in Syracuse is not thought of as a big deal because a lot of girls get pregnant.  

But Ms. Ashley, Kahdejah’s sex education teacher wants to make sure students in her class see that teen pregnancy is in fact a big deal.  

“Some [teens] take chances that could put them at risk for STDs and pregnancy,” Ashley said, “and we want to make sure they are educated about the risks.”

Ashley teaches a comprehensive sexual education curriculum with abstinence undertone.  But she knows teens, and even pre-teens are engaging in sexual activity.  

“I would wish that they would realize [having a baby] will not solve anything.  It’s not going to make them feel loved, it’s not going to keep anybody, it’s not going to give them what they’re looking for.  It’s just going to further problems,” Ashley claimed.

A Mother in Her Teens

Nineteen year old Tammy Wight gave birth to her baby boy Xavier seven months ago.  

She never took a sex education class, she dropped out of high school before she would have taken the class. 

But Tammy didn’t think taking the class would have prevented her from getting pregnant: “I was in the mindset I’m going to do what I’m going to do...” claimed Tammy, “...I just wanted to party...I thought I was acting like a grown up.”

But nothing has taught Tammy to be a grown up more than being a teen mom.