Teen pregnancy remains static

Teen mothers continue to make up 3.5 percent of overall births in Hernando County, with the number of teen births rising and falling throughout the past decade - between 41 and 58 each year.

Health department and teen pregnancy opponents agree despite education material made available in schools, at health clinics and even on the Internet, teen pregnancy continues to be a nationwide problem.

Stephanie Knight, executive director of A New Generation - a pregnancy prevention group that advocates abstinence education - said the statistics show Hernando County has held the line on teen pregnancy, but that it's still not enough.

She also acknowledges those numbers don't include the number of teenagers who opt to have an abortion. Knight said there isn't a way to obtain data for Hernando County specifically as many teens likely travel out of the county for the procedure.

With media influences such as magazines, television and the Internet that feature what she calls unhealthy lifestyles and choices, Knight said it's difficult to reach out to teens about consequences of having sex.

While teens are taught about sex in health class in school - which her group helps educate through an abstinence curriculum - she said those lessons last for about a week.

No sooner do the teens leave her class, then the texting of sexual material over cell phones, television and music take hold, she said. And if there isn't good communication between parents and their children, Knight said the chances that teens will be sexually active is more likely.

"The No. 1 influence for teens are their parents. If kids know what's expected of them, they're more apt to make better choices," Knight said. "It's hard for (teens) to remember what they hear for one week when, day-by-day they're getting the negative information from the media - all that garbage they're putting into their mind for hours a day. And it's hard for parents to talk about this. We're in a rush kind of culture and it's sexually saturated."

As part of teens' health curriculum in high school, they learn about sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy. Parents have the option to not have their child participate.

According to the Florida Department of Education, curriculum mainly consists of disease prevention and making good choices - such as not having sex.

Knight said she equates the wisdom of teaching abstinence to teaching children about drinking and driving. She said no one would tell a teenager that since they know they're likely going to drink and drive, at least wear a seat belt. The same goes for teaching teens about the best practices of avoiding sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

"We want to offer the best possible choice and information to them. And how many people don't know about condoms," Knight said. "And is a week enough to talk about this? No, but with all the requirements they have in school, we can't just keep talking about sex. That's why it's important for parents to talk to their kids."

Teens looking for an alternative to abstinence-only curriculum can still visit the Hernando County Health Department.

Janet Dick, senior community health nursing supervisor for the department, said from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays free clinics about sex and free pregnancy testing are offered along with other resources.

"Certainly students do gain from abstinence-only curriculum," Dick said. "But those who don't also need to be served too."

Both the health department and A New Generation offer information and counseling for both teens and parents.

Meanwhile, Knight is urging parents to take a leading role in talking to their teens about sex. If they need help, she said parents are always welcome to contact her office or the health department for more information.

"Even if we have one teen who is pregnant, it's one too many," Knight said. "But one good thing about sex being out there so much is that we are talking about it. We know not every child is listening to what we're saying, but at least they can't say no one told them about what could happen."

For more information about sex education, contact the Hernando County Health Department at 352-540-6800 or A New Generation at 352-544-0911