South Carolinians need to invest more in lowering teen pregnancy rates

Teen pregnancy rates in South Carolina have risen sharply after nearly 10 years of significant decline. They have reached their highest rates in Florence County since 1995.
The South Carolina Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy says the state has the 13th-highest birth rate in the nation among 15- to 19-year-olds despite seeing a 19 percent decrease in teen pregnancies between 1994 and 2004.
A two-year increase should be a major concern for every South Carolinian.
The latest data shows teen pregnancy in the state increased 8 percent between 2004 and 2006 from 33.1 per 1,000 teens in 2004 to 35.9 per 1,000 in 2006. That’s down significantly from 44.4 per 1,000 in 1994, but a two-year rise promotes fears of a longer trend.
In Florence County, 302 girls ages 10-19 became pregnant in 2006. Statewide, the staggering number was 10,604.
Clearly, teen pregnancy can be prevented. We know what works, based on a decade of success. The best programs, combining abstinence and birth-control methods, prevent teen pregnancy.
In the past 10 years, South Carolina parents, clergy and educators have become more comfortable in helping teens understand the risks of casual sex. Values-based decision-making helps teens acquire the confidence to say no and to avoid improper relationships.
Somewhere along the way, we’ve become complacent. While we do not fear the rate returning to rates in the 1990s, we’re sounding the alarm here by asking parents, religious groups and politicians to revive the issue. By creating a new dialogue about teen pregnancy, those at risk will see their choices and consequences more clearly.
Teen pregnancies have a significant cost socially and economically. Here are some surprising facts:
- Half of high school students surveyed say they’ve had sex;
- More than 20 percent of teen pregnancies end in abortion;
- Teen mothers are much less likely to finish high school;
- Children of teen mothers are 50 percent more likely to fail in school;
- Taxpayers in South Carolina spent about $80 million on Medicaid costs associated with teen pregnancies in 2006.
So what can we do?
The solution lies in investment. Parents must find time in talking lovingly to their teenagers. Local school boards must approve sex-education classes that emphasize abstinence and discuss birth control. Business leaders and politicians should support non-profit groups, even in lean economic times.
South Carolina spends $3.8 million on teen pregnancy prevention. Much of it has gone to programs focused only on abstinence. Though abstinence is part of the solution, it must be combined with reality-based sex education.
The costs associated with teen pregnancies make it obvious the stakeholders have lost some of their focus. The social problems remind us to stop resting on laurels of past success.
Prevention of teen pregnancy is back as a top social issue, whether we like it or not. It’s in everyone’s best interests to talk about it openly and honestly.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).