District Attorneys In Tennessee Launch Campaign To Target Teen Pregnancy

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 11 Sep 2008 - 9:00 PST

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District attorneys throughout Tennessee on Monday launched a campaign against teenage pregnancy -- called "What's the Rush?" -- which aims to educate teenagers about the legal, financial and social consequences of becoming pregnant, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. According to the Commercial Appeal, the campaign will provide a video and printed material featuring teen parents in Tennessee. The district attorneys also plan to visit schools and civic organizations across the state to discuss teen pregnancy.

The campaign cites statistics from the National Campaign To Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy that highlight the effects of teen pregnancy, including: eight out of 10 teenage fathers do not marry the mothers of their first children; less than half of girls who have a child before age 18 graduate from high school and less than 2% of such girls have a college degree by age 30. According to the statistics, children born to teenage mothers are more likely to be born prematurely and at a low birthweight, which can cause numerous health problems (Memphis Commercial Appeal, 9/9).

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