Too Young to be Pregnant in Del Rio

July 12, 2008
By Stacy S. Jensen
Special to LIVE!

Parents, do you know what your teenagers are doing?

Seriously, do you know what your teens are doing when they are out with their friends? Are they drinking, doing drugs or crossing the border into Mexico? Are they having sex?

While many parents, church groups and others are working diligently to prevent teen pregnancies, the pregnancies are still occurring. Many who don't become pregnant are sexually active. And that is a hard pill to swallow for a parent to think about his or her child being sexually active. The question is: Do sexually active teens have information about pregnancy, birth control and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?

Many parents find that sex is an easy topic for their children to access, but it's not an easy subject to discuss directly with their own children. Parents are embarrassed and uncomfortable about approaching their own children about sex and STDs, according to community experts. Others fear that talking about it, may encourage their children to have sex or experiment. Yet, if parents don't talk about sex with their children, who is?

Primarily, it's their friends and classmates at school. You may be surprised about what teens these days are talking about when it comes to sex.

Gloria Hernandez has been working in the area of family planning for 15 years. She works as a family planning technician and nationally registered certified medical assistant at United Medical Center, the San Felipe Health Clinic on the corner of Dr. Fermin Calderon Boulevard and De La Rosa Street. Even with all of her years of experience, today she says today’s teens are more knowledgeable and the questions they ask her are shocking.

One day, four girls came into her office. There were two 14-year-olds, one 15-year-old and one 16-year-old. They wanted to ask some questions about sex. Hernandez said she was naïve thinking the girls would ask questions like "would it hurt" the first time they had sex.

These teens had more precise questions in mind. They asked: Will I get an STD from oral sex? Can I get an infection if he fingers me? If I only do it one time, will I get pregnant? "I didn't expect those questions," Hernandez said, but she is trained to answer them.

Family planning aims to help clients plan their families. Hernandez offers educational information about sex and birth control options. She spends a good amount of time asking where teens are getting their information about sex. She said their peers often share information.

"There are no instructions on how to be a parent," Hernandez said. "Parents may feel intimidated about the subject." School district conferences have literature for parents, but "only a handful (of parents) attend," she said. "In our Hispanic culture, you just don't talk about (sex)," she said. Some teens may ask their parents questions and be turned off by the response. Hernandez said some parents have called girls whores for asking questions.

If parents won't communicate with a child, he or she will probably turn to peers for information. The peer network is so strong; Hernandez says it's important when just one teen gets educated about family planning. "If you educate one, then that one will give the right information to their peers."

Some teens aren't considering ways to plan for a family whether it is using birth control or abstinence. Some are just getting pregnant. "We stress abstinence, stay in school and stay healthy," Hernandez said. While they emphasize abstinence at UMC, they can also give students condoms and information.

The San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District doesn't really talk about sex either. Except that it emphasizes “abstinence only” through the Right Choices for Life Program offered through Baptist Child & Family Services.

Sex education is weaved into health classes, but it isn't what it used to be.

Jackie Cannon recently retired from overseeing the Life Skills for Students Parents program. She said the change arose when the health curriculum, which included sex education at the time, moved from high school to junior high. Some students went home and told their parents about the class and some parents became concerned. It was then that the school board of trustees "told us we would do abstinence only," said Julio Ramos, SFDRCISD assistant superintendent. The change took place nine or 10 years ago.

Dianne Trevino, Career Technology Education coordinator, said some sex education is transitioned in with other classes, but it's not a section in the health class. "We do have components of it."

Cannon said child development classes offer programs to students to experience parenting with a life-like doll. Students take the dolls home overnight and a computer evaluates the student's response to taking care of the doll's needs like crying, feeding and changing diapers.

Cannon said teen pregnancy numbers have been steadily increasing, but no one points a finger at how the school system changed its curriculum.

"The school goes as society goes," Ramos said. "We're a reflection of society."

PREGNANCIES

Last school year, there were 41 pregnant students enrolled in the Life Skills for Students Parents. That's 41 out of around 3,000 including middle and high school students.

In the 2002-03 school year, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reports there were 120 live births reported to children in grades seven through 12 in Val Verde County. Thirty-five of the births were to married mothers, while 85 were to unmarried mothers. Of these 13 to 18 year olds, the state reports that 19.2 percent reported they had a previous birth.

There were 89 births to mothers 18 and under, according to a Selected Health Facts 2004 sheet for Val Verde County from DSHS.

The DSHS Web site reports "Every 10 minutes, a teen in Texas gets pregnant." Approximately 10 percent of Medicaid paid deliveries in Texas were to teen mothers aged 13 to 17. DSHS estimates it cost $41 million for these teen deliveries.

The cost of teen pregnancies in Texas was estimated at $1 billion annually, according to a National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy report released in October 2006. "By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing" ( authored by Saul Hoffman, Ph.D.) reported that efforts to reduce teen childbearing had saved taxpayers an estimated $327 million in 2004.

"This report makes clear that teen pregnancy and child-bearing have significant economic and social costs," said Sarah Brown, director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. "Making further progress in reducing teen pregnancy will benefit taxpayers and the economy, as well as improve the educational, health, and social prospects for this generation of young people and the next."

Some of the consequences of teen parenting described in the report include teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school, remain unmarried and live in poverty. The children of teen mothers are more likely to be born at low birth weights, grow up poor, live in single-parent households, experience abuse and neglect and enter the child welfare system, according to "By the Numbers.” Another fact pointed out in Hoffman's report is that daughters of teen mothers are more likely to become teen parents and sons of teen mothers are more likely to be incarcerated.

With the cards stacked against them, programs like the Life Skills for Student Parents may help. The program had 88 male and female students enrolled last year. It helps students with their home instruction following birth, daycare expenses and work assistance through the Middle Rio Grande Work Force Center.

Cannon said one third of the 18 seniors enrolled in the program graduated.

Not graduating doesn't mean the students were lost. Ramos said some will go to the ACAP, which has a good recovery rate of dropouts. ACAP is the Alternative Credit Accrual Program. Maricela Rivera, a parental involvement aid, said 23 students graduated this year.

ACAP allows young adults 18 to 21 to complete their high school diploma requirements. To enroll, the student's graduation date must have passed. Rivera said many students are teen mothers, pregnant, married or single parents.

ACAP provides an alternative to dropping out. The center has flexible hours for students. It is located at 215 Garfield Ave., but is located in the Freshman High School Library this summer due to construction. To contact ACAP, call (830) 778-4451.

Trevino said the CTE program could also help teen parents by offering a wide arrange of programs to help with career development.

Ramos said they hope the student parents take advantage of programs offered through the CTE program. Trevino said they are working more with ACAP and day care providers to identify the student needs and capabilities. Students enroll in programs such as health sciences, EMT, pharmaceutical, family and consumer sciences, business education and electrical trades.

All programs offer certifications, which may help students find employment after high school. Trevino said they recruit the students as a way to build skills for employment. Students may also earn college credit for their work through CTE. Students also can work through a cooperative program where they attend class a half-day and then report to work for a half-day.

The school doesn't have a daycare on-campus for teen parents. The idea got started, but never got finished, Cannon said. Trevino said it's been proven an attached daycare is very advantageous for students. Cannon said this way the school would know immediately if the student parent was absent, because the baby wasn't in daycare.

Big dates and big risks

Cannon said teen pregnancy births could often be tracked to big events in either the community or the student's life. Conception dates can be traced to the holidays such as Christmas or Valentine's Day. The prom is a big date, too. "We can track it to their rights of passage," Cannon said. Parental supervision can also be a factor. "We had flood babies," she noted. Parents were busy with other concerns and this left teens unsupervised during the 1998 flood that devastated parts of Del Rio.

Teens are becoming sexually active at a younger ages today. Hernandez said there are many young people who are lonely. "They want affection. They want to be held." Being sexually active comes with risks of exposure to STDs.

Hernandez said teens should be concerned about STDs such as HPV or the human papillomavirus. And then there is AIDS. A 2006 report from DSHS shows that Val Verde County had six cases of HIV, which includes cases reported since 1994, but have not progressed to full blown AIDS. In all, 14 people were living in Val Verde with HIV/AIDS. DSHS also reported six people in the county with total syphilis, 161 cases of Chlamydia and 12 cases of gonorrhea in 2006.

Hernandez said while talking to one teen about a positive result for Chlamydia, she said the teen's response was "Oh, I thought I was dying." While some STDs may not kill you, they can change your life such as not being able to have children in the future. Hernandez has seen cases where doctors recommend a hysterectomy for a 21-year-old, who had STDs.

STDs are not just a problem women face. If a teen has an STD, her partner needs to be tested and treated for the STD, too. "A male untreated will re-infect," Hernandez said. UMC offers services to both men and women.

Patty Brown, SFDRCISD secondary curriculum coordinator said students learn about STDs in health class. Cannon said they study the science aspect. Teachers are often on the frontlines of sex questions. Cannon said students often ask a trusted teacher.

To help parents, the school offers parental meetings, conferences and a major health fair. Parental liaisons are key in providing parents with information, Trevino said.

"The liaison's main duty is to reach out to parents," Ramos said. If students are absent, the liaison checks with parents and may transfer information from the school to the parent. "The liaison is a resource," he said.

Pregnancy Tests

The school nurse doesn't offer pregnancy tests on campus, Cannon said. Students have to go elsewhere for that. Some girls will go to the UMC center for testing or to the Amistad Pregnancy Center. The UMC center is a medical facility, but Amistad Pregnancy Center is not.

Hernandez said a minor can request a pregnancy test at UMC without a parent. The teen must write in her own words that she wants the test. "Once she is pregnant, then we need to talk to an adult to get prenatal care," Hernandez said.

From January to May this year, Hernandez said she has seen nine 15-year-olds, seven 16-year-olds and 11, 17-year-olds, or 37 total teens, who are already pregnant or coming in for birth control.

Lorena Guartuche, a licensed vocation nurse at UMC, said they used to see many teen pregnancies, but not that many now. She sees about six tests a month. If the results are negative, Guartuche said they provide educational information to the teens. She said they stress abstinence. Hernandez said they tell teens that sex affects them mentally and physically.

Guartuche said many of the boys are older. If the partner is three or more years older, she said they are required to report the sexual activity – even if it is consensual.

Mary Hernandez, an LVN at UMC, said in one week they had five teens come in for tests. She sees more teens. "It makes me upset." Gloria Hernandez agrees. "It drains me when you get a young person. It breaks your heart."

Amistad Pregnancy Care Center isn't a medical facility, but it can offer information and comfort to a woman looking for answers.

Lori Sondag, APCC board president, has been volunteering for two years. She said the non-profit center offers free pregnancy tests. The client performs and reads her own test. "We're not a medical facility," Sondag said which is a common mistake. "We provide services to those in crisis."

Sometimes, the center will hear from people seeking abortion. The center is in the phonebook under "abortion alternative." Since it's the first listing, many call without noticing the word "alternative."

"Once they find out, sadly we don't hear from them again," Sondag said. Some do listen.

During a meeting with a pregnant client, volunteers will find out where she stands in her decision – will she continue the pregnancy or is she abortion-minded. Volunteers may provide a pregnancy test, counsel or give items from Hannah's Closet, which offers baby bedding, furniture, clothing, diapers and formula.

The volunteer organization works out of an office at 105-B Fletcher Drive. Services are confidential. Clients can call (830) 775-8076 and leave a message or visit the center's Web site at www.delrioapcc.org. Volunteers staff the office from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Two volunteers will meet with the client when it's convenient to her.

The number served by the center varies, but the majority is teenagers. Sondag said between six and seven out of every 10 clients are between the ages of 13 to 19.

"We're hoping to open up one day a week for four hours," said Romelia Limones, APCC board vice president. They hear that sometimes people stop by the door when they are not open.

Limones said the center has a number of committed volunteers who sign up to serve four hours a month at the center. Volunteers also help keep the doors open in other ways through fund-raising projects like a rummage sale planned for July 26 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Northside Baptist Church. To donate items, contact the center.

In addition to regular contributions from churches and individuals, the pregnancy center also has monthly donor who contribute from $5 to $150.

Others donate to Hannah's Closet. Limones said they accept items in good, useable condition. Hannah's Closet provides items up to the size 2T. "We let the mothers know there is support," Sondag said. The closet may have repeat clients when mothers return for a second child. They ask parents to donate items when they are finished using them.

"All of our services are free," Limones said. Donations help keep the office open and provide literature. Sondag said the center always needs financial support. "We're frugal. We have to be," Limones said. In a pinch, the group may have a quick bake sale to raise funds. "The Lord always provides."

Sondag said some volunteers might feel more comfortable working in with Hannah's Closet instead of meeting with clients. The center also ministers at the detention center and provides information about STDs and abstinence.

Sondag said they also educate women on different abortion procedures. "We hope they decide to go full term," Limones said.

For those who have had abortions, the center is beginning a group-counseling program called "Her Choice to Heal." It begins on Sunday, July 13, 2008, with a meeting from 1 to 6 p.m. It continues for six Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m. Those interested should call (830) 775-8076.

Sondag said many girls do go through with abortion but her center will still try to provide support.

Limones said more education must take place. "These young people don't know what it's all about," she said. "They think, 'Remove the problem.'" The center has films to show the women to help them understand, Limones said.

The number of abortions in Del Rio is hard to estimate, Limones said. There are new drugs that induce a termination and some will cross into Mexico for an abortion, she said. DSHS reports that every 48 minutes a teen has an abortion in Texas.

APCC's clients are typically unmarried, Sondag said. They see an increase in services following the New Year and during the summer. Some young men will stop by with the girls, but more often it is their girlfriends, Limones said. Center volunteers use this as an opportunity to educate a larger group of young women.

Limones said the age of the center's clients varies from year-to-year. They reach out to teen through area Christian organizations.

Young girls can come to the center without their parents to seek a pregnancy test. "It's confidential," Limones said. The center's office also provides several counseling rooms, so women don't have to be sitting in a waiting room with others.

The APCC can't call an adoption service on behalf of a client, but can provide information about area resources. Sondag said there are two Methodist homes, which provide a place for the pregnant women to stay.

In addition to individual services, Limones said volunteers are willing to make group presentations to parents and young people at area churches or community groups. She said they are invited to organizations for an educational presentation. Once, a parent brought in more than 10 kids to hear a presentation.

Sondag said they have many brochures about pregnancy, abortions and adoption. "Education is the most important thing," Limones said, "STDs this can be a lifetime situation."

A way to avoid pregnancy and STDs is 100 percent abstinence.

Abstinence Program

The Right Choices for Life program teaches abstinence only to Del Rio Middle School seventh and eighth graders. Aliyah McKinney is the program director for the Baptist Child & Family Services' RCL program. This fall, the program begins its third year of work with students. "It's abstinence education," she said. A federal grant funds the program.

McKinney said the program has three parts including school curriculum, youth activities and parental and teacher education.

The school curriculum is called "Choosing the Best." The program focuses on how to say no and set boundaries. It also addresses issues such as teen pregnancy and substance abuse. McKinney said youth activities include a variety of events, which provide a venue for students to make good choices.

The parental and teacher training project is important. "The home life is the glue of everything," she said and so is the support from educators. "We've had their support from day one at Del Rio Middle school."

Parents decide whether their child takes the class. "Parental consent is required to be part of the program." McKinney said parents have an opportunity to review the curriculum and students will give program instructors permission to contact their parents, if the permission slip hasn't been returned.

McKinney estimates 90 percent of all students go through the program. Last fall, only 35 students opted out of the program in the seventh grade.

"We have a passion about it," McKinney said of the program. She said they know that many kids get their information about sex from one place – their peers. "And, 90 percent of the time it's false."

For the sexually active teens, she said they can acknowledge they've made that choice, but they don't have to keep making that choice.

In addition to abstinence, they discuss at-risk behaviors including drugs and alcohol use and sexual activity including anal, vaginal and oral intercourse. There are chapters on STDs. "Really it's about having integrity," McKinney said.

The class also offers students an opportunity to have an open dialogue about issues. She said they emphasize that students can achieve their goals and have a healthy relationship in the context of marriage.

The program also has its own SWAT team or Students with Abstinence Training. The students meet a couple of times a month to discuss issues. In April, they participated in a drug conference. Members are engaged in community service including efforts to raise money to attend an abstinence conference. Nineteen plan to attend the meeting in Orlando, Fla. The cost per student is $690. To date, the group has raised $5,000, but still needs $13,000.

A July 12 car wash is planned. There have been bake sales and family outreach for donations. The conference will be July 21 to 27. "It's a huge task," McKinney said. "I'm excited, because I believe it will happen." Many of the students who plan to attend will be entering ninth grade in the fall.

Donate at the Border Federal Credit Union or at the BCFS office at the workforce center at 1927 Bedell Ave. contact RCL at (830) 768-2755.

Parents are also updated on the program's activities through newsletters. "We want parents and the community to know."

Parents

Information is available to parents on teen sex, STDs and pregnancy.

Gloria Hernandez likes the family planning program, because teens can get the right information and the right education. One parent brought her child to UMC for information, because she found a note under a bed, she said.

Parents can bring their kids to them, to talk about sex and pregnancy. The family planning clinic can provide minors with an exam, testing for pregnancy, STDs and education on birth control. "We tell them to use protection all the time," Hernandez said.

Information is available to help parents. "I feel like we've come a long way," Hernandez said, because there is information available for parents, too, on the Internet, at school functions and at health fairs.

Being a border town creates it own unique issues. Hernandez said it can be easy for teens to go to Mexico for drugs, alcohol or sex. She said some young men have visited prostitutes in Mexico. Hernandez makes sure the teens she talks to know about condoms. "You're the one who needs to be prepared," Hernandez tells the young men.

There are other stories of how drugs or alcohol has resulted in teens being sexually violated. "Drugs are a big issue here," Hernandez said. "We have a lot of kids who drink."

Parents aren't the only ones uncomfortable talking about sex. Teens often feel uncomfortable talking to the parents about the subject. Hernandez estimates six of 10 teens who are pregnant will say they can't tell their parents.

Amistad Pregnancy Care Center's Limones said it's difficult for parents to learn the news at the beginning. "Parents can go through shock, anger and disappointment." Often young clients fear telling their parents. Limones said they talk to the clients and tell them their parents may need time to adjust.

She recalled one case where a client called from outside Del Rio. Volunteers arranged to meet with the girl. They prayed. They guided her through the process of speaking to her parents. The client was abortion-minded, but in the end decided to continue with the pregnancy. Limones said it's great to hear feedback from clients, especially receiving a birth announcement.

Some clients leave and they never hear from them again. "All we do is trust God," Limones said.

Parents or teens can contact UMC family planning at (830) 768-4800, the Amistad Pregnancy Care Center at (830) 775-8076 or Planned Parenthood at 800-230-7526. Planned Parenthood offers information about birth control, abortion, STDs, pregnancy, emergency contraception and educations.

All photos by Stacy S. Jensen unless marked otherwise.