Teenage Pregnancies In Danville

Teenage pregnancies have been an epidemic that have affected multiple communities in my surrounding area. However, one town that it has affected greatly is the village of Danville, Ohio. The number of pregnant teenagers has increased quite a bit in this community, and I first began to notice this problem while I was attending Danville Local Schools before I graduated. Likewise, the rate of teenage pregnancies still continues to increase; however, no plan has been executed to start minimizing this problem. No change has been made even though more and more teens are becoming pregnant. However, I believe that there are a few solutions that the community and school of Danville can put in place to help this problem subside. Moreover, the community

“Providing a foundation of quality sex education is the only way to ensure that young people will grow into sexually healthy adults” (Hauser, 2013). The problem with early childhood sex education in the community of Danville is that there is none. Unfortunately, there are students as young as being in second and third grade beginning to talk about sex because of their curiosity towards the topic. When I attended their local school, their sexual education program did not begin until students reached the eighth grade. Also, the sexual education program that is taught in the eighth-grade health class does not goes as far as to talk about safe contraceptive use or the consequences that could happen if safe sex is not practiced effectively. Since it was called a health class, the instructors only went as far as talking about the male and female reproductive systems and to abstain from sex in general. When I attended their local school’s health class, I remember some of my classmates giggling when shown a diagram of the male and female reproductive parts. Afterwards, the instructor would tell them that they are too immature to learn about sex education, in eighth grade! At the time, I did not think anything about it. However, I now realize that a sex education program should begin at a younger age and grade level when kids’ curiosity levels peak towards the situation.

Each member of the community can play a role in helping decrease this epidemic that the town has been facing. One possible example would be to create a local program that young teenagers could attend to gain more insightful knowledge from other members of the community. Learning important methods and solutions about practicing safe sex from not only other members of the community but from actual teenage parents can impact their decision towards the topic. Research also points towards the advantages of implementing a local program in one’s community; teenage pregnancy prevention programs “must include conducting age appropriate personal responsibility and sexual education, educating and engaging parents and communities in initiating opportunities for positive youth development and involvement, implementing ongoing awareness of teenage pregnancy prevention, using multiple modes of communication, messages emphasizing abstinence and personal responsibility, clear strategies for the future, continuous provision of reproductive healthcare services, community and youth empowerment, contraceptives and preventive services through the collaboration of public school system and the Health Department so as to increase access to evidence‐based sexuality education and confidential contraceptive services to teenagers” (Maja,