Investment with a guaranteed return

Twenty or so cases of swine flu have made it difficult to walk down the street without being a part of the subsequent media frenzy. Yet, in comparison, the 10,600 teen girls who get pregnant in our state each year barely get mentioned. Teen pregnancy rates in our state are increasing for the first time in the last 15 years and nobody is paying attention.
To be sure, swine flu is an issue that deserves our attention along with economic recovery efforts and many others. There is a tie that binds the proposed solutions to all of these matters: investment. Consider solutions that have been offered for some of the challenges du jour. President Barack Obama’s recent remarks to the National Academy of Sciences adjusted in response to the swine flu outbreak included emphasis on the need for further investments into science and research. Similarly www.recovery.gov, states, “the (Act) is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy… and targets investments towards key areas...” Many of the sharpest economic minds in the business share a common answer to the question of what to do to help our economy out of this current state? Simply, keep investing.
Keep investing. My thoughts exactly!
There are more than 1,000,000 young people under 18 currently living in South Carolina-each of whom deserve our investment. Yet, the 8 percent increase in teen pregnancy rates between 2004 and 2006 shows no sign of slowing as trends in sexual activity among youth suggest that this bad news may get worse before it gets better. Fortunately, teen pregnancy is an issue that can be improved if we are willing to make a more substantial investment in young people.
Parents are one of the most essential components of an effective teen pregnancy prevention strategy. Nearly 9 in 10 young people agree it would be easier for them to postpone pregnancy if they were able to have open, honest dialogue about these topics with a caring adult. Sadly, only about half of all youth are fortunate enough to have had such a conversation. Parents need to increase their investment and spend more time talking with their children about these issues.
School-based sex education also plays a critical role in preventing teen pregnancy. More than 8 in 10 registered voters in South Carolina support an approach to school based sex education that emphasizes abstinence as the best choice for young people, and also includes information on condoms and contraception. Research documents such an approach as being effective in reducing teen pregnancy. Schools should be asked to increase their investment in young people through the delivery of research proven, comprehensive sex education.
A complete list of those from whom more is required would take space beyond what I am allowed. Community-based programs and youth serving agencies all over the country are being asked to do more with less. Those in faith communities must deliver messages that are clear and consistent around love, sex and relationships. Elected officials must ensure that funding for critical issues such as teen pregnancy prevention remain in tightened budgets.
There are few investment opportunities, especially in the current time, that guarantee a return. An investment in teen pregnancy prevention can do exactly that. We can no longer afford to pay the costs, both economic and social, associated with a failure to invest in this critical issue. After all, the only thing at this point that is unacceptable is doing nothing.
May is nationally recognized as Teen Pregnancy Prevention month. The entire month provides us a unique opportunity to refocus attention on this issue and do something about it! The South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is currently on a “road show” across the state to encourage people to get involved. Recent stops in Dillon, Sumter, Horry, Georgetown and Florence counties have helped to increase solution-focused conversations in the Pee Dee.

— Forrest L. Alton has been involved in teen pregnancy prevention efforts in South Carolina for the past 10 years. He is the executive director of the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. He can be reached at (803) 771-7700 or falton@teenpregnancysc.org.