Teenage and unwed pregnancy in Baltimore is a pretty serious problem among African Americans. During my time on a maternity ward in a city hospital, I noticed that almost every Black woman that I cared for was both unmarried and was currently, or had been pregnant as a teenager. An analysis of birthrates in 2003 demonstrated that Baltimore City is consistently among the highest in the nation with teen pregnancy comprising 18% of all births. I see this as one of the greatest problems to progress among impoverished black communities.
Generation after generation is having children before they have the means to offer that child a life better than their own. If I had unlimited power and influence, I would first make sure that every hospital in America was outfitted with Xbox 360 consoles in their bathrooms. Number two, I would revoke reproductive privilege in some of the hardest hit areas, and re-instate it on a case by case basis. However, I am but a mere mortal, so I'll have to settle for making sure that my little brother, Jamal, understands exactly how important it is that he keep his weapon holstered.
When he spilled the story of his first cheek kiss with girlfriend, Bonquelda (only in Baltimore), he mentioned that 'positive' peer pressure had a lot to do with it. And as innocent an encounter as that was, it wasn't hard for me to imagine him taking things further in the years to come as his hormones rage, and his buddies cheer him on.
Me: So what do you know about serious things between boys and girls? (Trying to be as vague as possible)
Jamal: I know all about the birds and the bees.
Me: Well do you know why it is so important that you not have sex?
He had a few of the answers I was looking for. Jamal is aware of diseases and the unwanted consequences of a pregnancy at this age. There's a girl in his middle school class who is with child. But still, he casually mentioned that "a condom can take care of all that." As true as that is, I reminded him of the possibility of failure or misuse, and the likelihood that someone his age would not use one everytime.
I am an ardent advocate of abstinence, but I am not naive enough to think that someone who has not been properly indoctrinated will actually adopt that as their primary birth control method. Jamal's family does not have a strong tradition of marriage, and I am among the few married adults that he knows.
My parents started working on me and my brothers very early. I can remember being sat down for lessons about lust, irresponsibility, and consequences of Biblical proportions at the age of seven. There was some overkill at times, but their technique has been proven effective:
"..according to data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 cohort, even after taking account of characteristics such as race/ethnicity, mother’s education, and family structure. Teenagers whose parents have strong religious beliefs, who have higher levels of attendance at religious services, who participate in more family religious activities, and whose parents are affiliated with a religious denomination are less likely to have sex before age 18 than are teens without these characteristics."
I can see that the next generation of our family is reaping the benefits of this approach. My nephews and nieces are being born into stable homes where they will be very well provided for emotionally and financially.
Before putting the subject to rest, I told Jamal that abstinence is his best bet for many reasons. I tried to include his faith, and the potential heartache involved when young girls misinterpret a thrill-seeking boy's emotional investment. Some part of me doubts that any of that is really sticking. Puberty has begun, and reprogramming a young male with his eyes on the prize may be next to impossible.
Me: Just promise me that if you can't wait until marriage, you'll always use a condom
Jamal: okay
I'll be sure to revisit the issue.
Generation after generation is having children before they have the means to offer that child a life better than their own. If I had unlimited power and influence, I would first make sure that every hospital in America was outfitted with Xbox 360 consoles in their bathrooms. Number two, I would revoke reproductive privilege in some of the hardest hit areas, and re-instate it on a case by case basis. However, I am but a mere mortal, so I'll have to settle for making sure that my little brother, Jamal, understands exactly how important it is that he keep his weapon holstered.
When he spilled the story of his first cheek kiss with girlfriend, Bonquelda (only in Baltimore), he mentioned that 'positive' peer pressure had a lot to do with it. And as innocent an encounter as that was, it wasn't hard for me to imagine him taking things further in the years to come as his hormones rage, and his buddies cheer him on.
Me: So what do you know about serious things between boys and girls? (Trying to be as vague as possible)
Jamal: I know all about the birds and the bees.
Me: Well do you know why it is so important that you not have sex?
He had a few of the answers I was looking for. Jamal is aware of diseases and the unwanted consequences of a pregnancy at this age. There's a girl in his middle school class who is with child. But still, he casually mentioned that "a condom can take care of all that." As true as that is, I reminded him of the possibility of failure or misuse, and the likelihood that someone his age would not use one everytime.
I am an ardent advocate of abstinence, but I am not naive enough to think that someone who has not been properly indoctrinated will actually adopt that as their primary birth control method. Jamal's family does not have a strong tradition of marriage, and I am among the few married adults that he knows.
My parents started working on me and my brothers very early. I can remember being sat down for lessons about lust, irresponsibility, and consequences of Biblical proportions at the age of seven. There was some overkill at times, but their technique has been proven effective:
"..according to data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 cohort, even after taking account of characteristics such as race/ethnicity, mother’s education, and family structure. Teenagers whose parents have strong religious beliefs, who have higher levels of attendance at religious services, who participate in more family religious activities, and whose parents are affiliated with a religious denomination are less likely to have sex before age 18 than are teens without these characteristics."
I can see that the next generation of our family is reaping the benefits of this approach. My nephews and nieces are being born into stable homes where they will be very well provided for emotionally and financially.
Before putting the subject to rest, I told Jamal that abstinence is his best bet for many reasons. I tried to include his faith, and the potential heartache involved when young girls misinterpret a thrill-seeking boy's emotional investment. Some part of me doubts that any of that is really sticking. Puberty has begun, and reprogramming a young male with his eyes on the prize may be next to impossible.
Me: Just promise me that if you can't wait until marriage, you'll always use a condom
Jamal: okay
I'll be sure to revisit the issue.
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