THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 4, 1995 TAG: 9508030012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
Voters in Virginia know that teenage pregnancies cause devastation to families as well as placing severe burdens on citizens of the commonwealth. Vital statistics on teenage pregnancies state there were 17,245 teenage pregnancies in Virginia in 1992. Of these: 13,915 or 80.7 percent were out-of-wedlock; 5,774 or 33.5 percent resulted in induced terminations of pregnancy (abortion); 7,708 or 44.7 percent resulted in live births out of wedlock; and 755 or 4.4 percent resulted in natural fetal deaths.
Furthermore, the Virginia Beach Better Beginnings Coalition has reported: 53 percent of ADC recipients in Virginia are babies born to teen mothers; the cost of raising a child on public assistance by a teen mother, birth to age 18, has been estimated to be $299,000 in 1993 dollars; and in 1991 alone, Virginia taxpayers spent $284.7 million to provide welfare payments, food stamps and medical services for families begun by teen mothers. This figure does not include the money spent by the state for infant day care, remedial-education job training for mothers, housing subsides, WIC payments, school meals, special education or foster care.
All Virginia candidates for office need to be asked by voters: If elected, will you work to amend the Code of Virginia relating to statutory rape and carnal knowledge so that the age of consent in Virginia will be raised to 18?
RONALD D. MORRISON
Virginia Beach, July 24, 1995 by CNB