Prince hoping for drop in teenage pregnancies

The average church going parent in St Vincent and the Grenadines will ‘blow their top’ if they were to find out that their beautiful 16-year old daughter was having sex, sporting her birth control pills on her dressing table, and showing off the occasional love bite on her neck.

While Naomi Prince and her team continued to educate teenagers on the wisdom of using protection if they choose to have sex, they also have to prepare the parents to support their children during these tough decisions.{{more}}

“We will be spearheading a massive educational drive for parents on the subject nationwide,” Prince told SEARCHLIGHT.

The simple fact, according to Prince, is that 341 teenagers gave birth last year at the Milton Cato Memorial hospital and her unit will like to see that figure dip significantly.

“We are hoping for at the very least a five percent decrease in the numbers but would love it to drift downward even more,” Prince said.

She said that another huge challenge in dealing with the teenagers is adjusting the attitude of some health workers at the clinics.

“It is true that some health workers pass judgment on youngsters when they try to protect themselves,” Prince admitted.

She said that while she believes that the choice to be sexually active outside of marriage is sinful, the youths who protect themselves are making wise social choices, and must be respected for that.

Today, Friday, November 24, marked the end of Family Planning Week, under the theme “No pain if you abstain.” The week featured a well attended youth symposium, and a debate between post secondary school institutions; it focused primarily on the sexual behaviour of teenagers.