Loudon Co. facing 3rd highest teen pregnancy rate in Tennessee

Loudon County is experiencing serious problems with teen pregnancy rates, and now officials are banding together to find ways to solve the problem.

[David Divelbiss]

Hope Resource Center:
Welcome to Lenoir City.

[Momma]

I am an advocate of abstinence teaching, but these kids need something constructive to do rather than to have sex and procreate. I hope Loudon County will investigate recreational programs to provide healthy activities to keep teens busy. I know kids who say they engaged in sexual activity because they were board. Not very creative, but perhaps a reality.

[David Divelbiss]

Momma wrote:

I know kids who say they engaged in sexual activity because they were board. Not very creative, but perhaps a reality.

Well, when I was a teen if some gullible adult asked me that "Why?" question (as I recall, adults will say some really stupid things to kids), I probably would've said the same thing - and acted like hormones had nothing to do with it.

[upset mom]

I've been wondering about this. Why not allow for both an abstinence program and a sexual education based program to co-exist and allow the parents to select which program they want their children to attend? Result could be compared down the road and true results could be used to implement working programs. Does it always have to be either/or?

[Montrose 1973]

upset mom wrote:

I've been wondering about this. Why not allow for both an abstinence program and a sexual education based program to co-exist and allow the parents to select which program they want their children to attend? Result could be compared down the road and true results could be used to implement working programs. Does it always have to be either/or?

Why would "Parents" need A program to learn anything about their own Kids?.....Are People too busy or just too ignorant?....LAWD HAVE MERCY.

[David Divelbiss]

upset mom wrote:

Why not allow for both an abstinence program and a sexual education based program to co-exist and allow the parents to select which program they want their children to attend?

You are allowed to do either or both of those things with your children. You would never get a peep of opposition out of me.

But, if you claim it is the schools' job to parent, and/or that the city needs a parenting policy as to what parents will ach their children at home, I will have plenty to say.

[David Divelbiss]

I have one other comment on this, as this problem has been looked into and studied many times in many jurisdictions.

About ten years ago, the U.S. city with the highest teen pregnancy rate was Milwaukee. When the problem there was studied, they found something I think was pretty revealing: In 90% of teen pregnancy cases the father was over the age of 21.

We don't need more laws to deal with this. We need a change of attitudes, and enforcement of the statutory rape laws already on the books.

Prosecutors will tell you that jurors are reluctant to convict people of this. Under our jury-judicial system, it is hard to convict people of breaking a law when strong public support doesn't exist.

It's easy to see why jurors don't want to convict an 18-year boy who knocks up his 17-year old girlfriend.(That seems very technical.)

But a reluctance to convict on the part of jurors causes prosecutors to either drop the case or plea-bargain it.
The plea-bargain results in probation, and the predators are not removed from society.

If Loudon County's teen pregnancy rate is 3rd highest in the state, then there are probably some men here who need to be segregated from society. Vote to convict them when it is proven.

[Norman]

The truth is revealed at the bottom of the article; "With a higher Hispanic population, Hughes expects there will be some language barriers to deal with."

This is the cause right here ...'a higher Hispanic population'. Its not generally known, but Hispanics, both teens and adults have a very high rate of illegitimacy. For some reason its even higher in the US than in Mexico. It may have something to do with Welfare Programs in the US.

.

Momma wrote:

I am an advocate of abstinence teaching, but these kids need something constructive to do rather than to have sex and procreate. I hope Loudon County will investigate recreational programs to provide healthy activities to keep teens busy. I know kids who say they engaged in sexual activity because they were board. Not very creative, but perhaps a reality.

[upset mom]

We need programs because we are 3rd in the state for teen pregnancies. This tells me that parents are not getting the information to children to make the decisions necessary for them to succeed in life. I believe that by allowing for parents to choose which program they want, we can use real data to determine the efficacy of the programs. The proof is in the puddin'. I'm not about telling people what they should and shouldn't do, but when these children are having babies and society is responsible to pay for them, then we have every obligation to determine why this is happening and implement stategies to help combat it. Sticking our heads in the sand isn't going to cut it. Programs are helpful because everyone knows that teenagers don't always reach out to their parents. Sometimes they choose others to seek their information from, so it is important that they have resources available to get factual information.

And yes, we lack in activities for children in this county, so they are left to make their own fun. Parks are few and far between, after school care and programs are limited and even the pools close long before summer is over. What resources are available, are expensive or too distant for most. After school programs only serve those who can transport themselves to/from them which precludes many from participating.

We need to discuss ways for improving recreational programs in the county as I believe this would be a great way to keep kids engaged in healthy activities.

[Right Wing Lunatic]

All parents need to encourage abstinence, but this is the real world, and that is asking too much for some teens. Every parent also needs to make sure their kids know how to use birth control, and make sure their kids don't believe some of the myths out there (i.e. If you pull out in time you can't get pregnant, if you stand up after sex it will all run out, etc.) Sex ed needs to start at home. Too many parents assume their kids already know because they've heard it at school. Some parents think it's no use because their kids won't listen to them. But, they need to make their kids listen. It could prevent you from becoming a grandma at age 40. Teach your children responsibility so that you don't become a grandma until age 60 instead.

[Dad]

Activities won't matter.... when I was that age and had a choice between band practice, basketball, frisbee, etc. or sex.... hmmmm what would I choose..... gosh, that's a tough one.

Replace the placebos in the birth control circle packs with a mild concentration of meth. After a month or so, they become addicted to the birth control pills. Voila ! problem solved.

Seriously, though.... there's a serious problem with so many teenage girls thinking it's OK and cool to have a kid, and have one out of wedlock. Hollywood celebrities do it, and many others in their community do it, so it has to be OK.... right ?

[Tennessee]

Why don't these childern use protection or better than that, get a job? They have too much time on their hands. That is why they are out having sex.

Now we the taxpayers will have to pay to support these children that these irresponsible kids have brought into this world. If this country would take away the "free assistance" then people would quit having babies.

[john smith]

teach the kids on how to use protection..because no matter what u say or do to them..there going to do it anyway...or better yet have them email [e-mail]

[David Divelbiss]

john smith wrote:

teach the kids on how to use protection..because no matter what u say or do to them..there going to do it anyway...or better yet have them email [e-mail]

Gordon Harless?
You still haven't found a girlfriend?

[Dad]

David Divelbiss wrote:

<quoted text>
Gordon Harless?
You still haven't found a girlfriend?

apparently not.... he's on another thread inquiring about pickle parks....

[john smith]

i was inquiring about pickle parks since u asked me when you could find it...DAD also know as Daivid

[Earl Keese]

Dad wrote:

<quoted text>
apparently not.... he's on another thread inquiring about pickle parks....

lmao !!!

[jrwebb]

Teaching teenagers abstinence is like teaching them to vertically leap 6 feet in the air. Some might ... most won't.

Humans copulate. They are engineered to do so and they were doing it for hundreds of thousands of years before there was some puritanical zealot standing around making a moral judgments about it.

It is quite literally in their DNA. Helping them manage that reality in healthy ways is the job of parents. Schools, churches, and other organizations can help (maybe), but in the end, it takes a parent to do their job. Show me a pregnant teenager, and I'll show you two sets of parents who failed. Period!

I don't mean to be ungenerous or ungracious, but lets call a pig a pig. These kids are MINE! Not the state's and what happens to them is MY responsibility - and its a responsiblity that cannot be "outsourced" to the government or the church.

I get exhausted by all the well-intentioned folks who want government to accept responsibility for doing parent's jobs.

A government that is big enough to do everything you need done must take all you have to do it.

[amber]

i cant beleive that TN is the 3rd highest for teenage pregnacny, like my high school has like 6 pregnant girls but i had no idea that we were the 3rd highest thata a big shocker!! and in health class we had some of the pregnant girls come in and talk about why we shouldnt make the same mistake, because my class is a freshman class and we are new to everything....
but yeah thats a big! shocker WOW

[MomofTeen]

What most Loudon Countians don't know is that Loudon County has both Federal and State money coming into the county to teach abstinence in the schools but the director of this organization receiving the money is not doing her job. Everyone needs to research this and let their opinions be known about the lack of effort by this director. The organization is "Break the Cycle, Inc." located on Mulberry Street in Loudon. The director/President is Dr. Linda Knight. The phone number is listed in the phone directory or on the internet. Loudon County has had one educator doing all Loudon County schools and all Monroe County schools most all the time because Dr. Knight can't keep employees because she treats them so bad. Why isn't Dr. Knight out in the schools?
Note to the editors: I would challenge any one of you to look into this program to see the lack of effort with our tax dollars.