Abstinence-Only programs in Cherokee County
Effective in preventing teen pregnancy?
By Lizz Harold

In 1995 North Carolina passed a bill that required all schools in the public school system to offer an abstinence only program to middle school and high school students.

Over 10 years later the rate of teenage pregnancy has decreased by a staggering amount.

According to the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina, the rate per 1,000 of teen pregnancies decreased from 91.4 in 1995 to 61.0 in 2003. With the statistics including young women from ages 1519, the evidence is overwhelmingly positive that teens in the school system are receiving the positive sexual awareness education they need. However locally, many raise concerns over current sex education and resource awareness in the county.

Lisa Twiggs, director of Family Resources, agreed that young women are getting pregnant in part because they don't understand the services offered to them by the county.

" It is a lack of education and resources," explained Twiggs, "Birth control is available."

Taught the mantra "Abstinence until marriage" and faced with the sexual pressures of adolescence, any young women without proper knowledge of available resources can be at risk.

"It can be any teen," urged Twiggs, reassuring the fact that there isn't a type of woman that is at risk to get pregnant in her teenage years.

Effective as abstinence programs appear to be, the education techniques of NC school systems and sexual censorship have been in question for years.

Once in Franklin County, NC, three chapters of a ninth grade Health & Life Skills textbook were cut out of the curriculum due to the material not mandating to the abstinenceonly education platform. Of the three removed chapters, the subjects included such topics as contraception, marriage, AIDS, and STDS.

Nurse Montez Sistronk PA, located at the Health Department in Murphy, explained that the local school system needs to shed more light on contraception to prevent pregnancy.

"This is a touchy subject," commented Sistronk, "I don't think the school does enough education with birth control."

Sue Lynn Ledford, once a nurse at Murphy High and currently serving for the Cherokee County School System, disagrees.

"I don't think so," says Ledford, " I think they (teens) are aware of where they can access resources in the county."

For the sixth year renewed, Cherokee County has received a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Intervention grant which has enabled the county to initiate teen outreach programs in schools.

Wise Guys, a male oriented program, was devised to teach adolescent males responsibility in their family, school, community, and lastly, sexuality.

"We have an abstinenceonly policy," explained Ledford, "All efforts in the schools revolve around that."

Statistics are in favor of such community service oriented programs that aim to replace sexual frustration and confusion with positive self-esteem growing projects. Two years ago the rate per 1,000 of teens giving birth was 69.1, a slight rise since early 2003.

In terms of contraception use and other health issues, Ledford is clear that the subject is not being completely avoided.

"We provide them with information about the success and failure rates of contraception," she said.

Ledford adds that outright discussion of pregnancy prevention with birth control is out of the question, "It is not okayed by the school."

Despite the conflicting arguments, the question remains unclear if a non-sexual stance in education is the right path to be beating down