THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 6, 1996 TAG: 9603060009
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
The issue of teenage pregnancy has long been a problem that has not been adequately addressed. As a senior nursing student at Old Dominion University, it was not until I worked at the Virginia Beach Health Department that I realized the magnitude of this problem within our community.
Research by the Better Beginnings Coalition of Virginia Beach, along with the Vital Statistics of 1994, show Virginia Beach with the highest number of teen pregnancies in the state, with 1,114 instances. Recently, a high-school student mentioned to me that every girl at his lunch table was pregnant. Although this is undoubtedly an exaggeration, it underscores the seriousness of this problem.
We cannot rely on groups like the Better Beginnings Coalition of Virginia Beach to solve this problem alone. There needs to be more involvement by the communities as well as the cities and state. Prevention is the key. Unfortunately, we are too busy dealing with the issue after the fact. For every dollar the state spends on treating teenage pregnancies, just 2 cents is spent on prevention. Whether prevention means contraception or abstinence, parents have to realize that either option is better than another teen pregnancy.
ELEANOR ABRAJANO
Virginia Beach, Feb. 23, 1996 by CNB