GROUP TRIES TO STEM TIDE OF TEEN PREGNANCIES

The figures were shocking. In 1984, 180 Cape Girardeau County teen-agers got pregnant. The rate was enough to drive the community to action.

After an eight-year initiative to stem teen pregnancies, the numbers have dropped. In 1992, 126 pregnancies were reported in the county. But members of the Teen Pregnancy and Responsibility Network are not claiming success.

Molly Strickland, who works with Lutheran Family and Children's Services, is among the core group working with the network. While the number of teen pregnancies has dropped, she said it is still shocking.

"My feeling is the problem is a societal problem, and we're not fixing it. We haven't seen a big change," she said. "It is discouraging to think that you make major efforts and nothing comes of it."

Over the past five years, Cape Girardeau County's teen pregnancies have ranged from a high of 170 in 1990 to a low of 120 in 1992, according to figures from the Missouri Department of Health. Figures from 1993 are not available yet.

"It's good to have the numbers come down, but I don't think that should be our only measuring stick," said Donna Fields, with East Missouri Action Agency Family Planning and a key player in the network.

"We want to help develop healthy attitudes about sex. But how do you measure prevention? How do you measure education? I don't feel all those years have been wasted, but sometimes we get a little down about what we are doing."

The group formed in 1986 and was called the Teen Pregnancy Task Force, explained Barbara Mayfield, one of the founders. The name was changed a few years ago to Teen Pregnancy and Responsibility Network.

"It started as part of a grant the Family Learning Center had through the Missouri Children's Trust Fund to do things in the community to help prevent teen pregnancy," said Mayfield, who was director of the center at the time.

The Family Learning Center offered education and support groups. "It didn't seem to be getting done what we needed to get done. We decided to begin meeting together with other people who may also be interested in preventing teen pregnancy," said Mayfield, who left the group five years ago when she changed jobs.

Fields recalled, "At the very beginning we were actually much larger and had quite a representation from the religious community, parents and professionals.

"We have kind of developed into a core group of about 15 of us who have kept it going. We have lost the parents and some other aspects of the group."

What's been done

The first priority of the group has been to provide information on sex and pregnancy to teens.

"Initially we wanted some sort of sexuality education in the schools," Fields recalled. "That never happened."

Instead, the group developed a booklet and distributed it to teens. More than 10,000 booklets have been printed. Booklets are available from Fields by calling 334-2517.

"I think that has been fairly successful," Fields said. "We have gotten information into the hands of thousands of teens in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Scott and Perry counties."

The group brought in national expert and speaker Sam Rhine, who talked about birth defects and teen pregnancy at a number of area schools.

They brought in a professional theatrical performance, "Zoomers Rap Band," which dealt with the issue.

They sponsored essay contests, with prizes, to encourage students to do research and raise awareness about teen pregnancy.

They purchased a series of videos on decision making by Michael Pritchard, which is available to local schools at Kent Library.

"We have tried not to stick with one thing but to try different approaches. What works for one segment of society will not work for another. Every teen responds differently," Fields said.

"When you think of how many booklets we have gotten into the hands of teenagers, that had an impact. Whether that resulted in a change of behavior, we don't know," Fields said.

"We work piece by piece. But who knows what little piece will make an impact," she said.

Parenting services added

Two years ago, realizing the difficulties of prevention, the network offered some services to pregnant teens to teach parenting skills and hopefully prevent repeat teen-age pregnancies.

Statistics show that within the first year 50 percent are pregnant again, and about 75 percent are pregnant within two years.

Parent education classes are offered along with support groups for teen-age and single parents. But response is dwindling.

"We send out 20 postcards and reminders and have five or six who show up," Strickland said.

"Our services are there for them, but when you know you are reaching such a small percentage of them ...." She sighs. "I keep thinking we will get another one or two or three."

Responsibility

While the group's efforts have expanded from education to include support services for pregnant teens, prevention is still the goal.

"We haven't given up, but it's hard," said Strickland. "It's hard to get into places to talk. Sexuality is a tough subject.

"Our standards, as a society, have lowered so much. We are not teaching our young people to have responsibility about sex. And look at the example the adults are setting?"

Another area that hasn't changed is a lack of responsibility on the part of teen-age fathers. Strickland said she recently purchased a book for the teen mothers she works with called "Do I Have a Daddy?" It offers suggestions for explaining the absence of the child's father.

"It's a wonderful tool to help explain to the children, but it shows where our society has gone," she said.

In addition, teen-agers rarely have resources to care for themselves and their children. Parents step in to help, as do government agencies.

"It is a tremendous tax burden," she said. "Our society has tried to qualify every teen girl for Medicaid, no matter what their income level. That's not teaching responsibility.

"The basic responsibility should lie with the family and the young girl," Strickland believes. "But we have to work at it as a community."

What to do?

The answer to the question raised eight years ago -- how to stem the number of teen pregnancies -- remains illusive.

"Maybe we need to get out and speak to parent groups," Strickland said. "Maybe it would help to have peers talk to peers.

"We had a couple of board members who took some materials and asked university young people to come up with ideas on how to approach young people about sexuality."

The group has been watching the development of a new health curriculum in Cape Girardeau public schools. The proposal includes an abstinence-based sex education component.

"But a lot of parents don't want schools to teach anything about sex," Strickland said.

"I think we're ready for a change now," Fields said. "We need some new ways to do outreach. We would love anyone who's interested to participate. We need fresh new ideas and new direction."

The group meets every other month on the third Thursday. Meetings are held from 7:30-9 a.m. at the Cape Girardeau County Health Center, 1121 Linden. The next meeting is March 17.

"As a society we have got to start saying this is not the best start for kids or for the children and their families," said Strickland. "But what do you do? What can they do? I don't know that we can do as professionals.

"Our hearts are really in this, but we would like to have an effect of some kind."