Blogamole › National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnan

By Wendaline Perez

Teens across the country are so eager to become reality TV stars that they're trying to get pregnant for a chance to be on MTV's 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, according to Popeater.com. If that's true, that's a startling revelation.

According to a recent study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 82 percent of teens who have watched 16 and Pregnant said it helps them better understand the challenges of teen pregnancy and parenthood; 15 percent said they believe the show glamorizes teen pregnancy. And nearly 7 in 10 teen boys and 8 in 10 teen girls agree that "when a TV show or character I like deals with teen pregnancy, it makes me think more about my own risk of becoming pregnant or causing a pregnancy and how to avoid it."

Pregnancy isn't glamorous. It's hard, especially for teen parents, and it's even harder on their babies. In fact, babies born to teen parents are more likely to grow up in poverty and suffer from health problems, abuse, neglect and educational disparities. Expecting parents should be mentally, emotionally and financially prepared for such a big task — for the baby's sake and for their own. According to the National Campaign, 52 percent of Hispanic females get pregnant at least once before turning 20; 54 percent of those females don't graduate from high school.

That's why Tr3s has partnered with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy to get real about teen pregnancy in the Latino community. For the next two weeks, beginning Monday, we are proud to air the "Life As We Know It" campaign, a series of public service announcements featuring videos about the reality of teen pregnancy — and teen parenthood — created by and for Hispanic teens. Please join us next week, as these teens sound off about their challenges and their goals.

To learn more about preventing pregnancy, visit stayteen.org.

Image Source: [MTV]

We want to know what YOU think! Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags 16 and Pregnant, Life As We Know It, MTV, National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnan, PSAs, Teen Mom

By Michael Lopez

Wow… How quickly life can change. One minute you’re carefree, going on dates, or spending time with your “special someone” and the next minute you’re…. A PARENT?! Sounds crazy, but it happens a lot more often than you think.

This week, MTV Tr3s is getting serious with “Life As We Know It.” Beginning Saturday (July 3), we’ll be airing a series of Public Service Announcements highlighting teen and unplanned pregnancies, specifically within the Latino community. These PSAs were produced by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, along with 7 young & inspiring Latinos from across the country.

Guys and girls, ages 15 - 17, from Mexican, Puerto Rican, Colombian, Guatemalan, Salvadoran and Ecuadorian backgrounds participated in the project.

Before you start saying, “No way, that will never happen to me”, check out these stats. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 52% of Latinas get pregnant at least once before turning 20 (giving them the highest teen birth rate of any US ethnic group).

And if that wasn’t bad enough, 54% of Latina teen mothers never finish high school. Add to that the fact that 8 out of 10 guys don’t marry their kid’s teen moms, and you start seeing how serious this problem can be.

Do yourself a favor and stay educated on the topic of unplanned pregnancies, because “Life As We Know It” can change in an instant.

The new PSAs will air Saturday (July 3) through the following Sunday (July 11).

Do you know anyone who had to deal with a teen pregnancy? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Life As We Know It, MTV Tr3s, National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnan, PSA

We recently caught up with 'Yearbook Chronicles' cast-member Martha, who sent us the following note about what she's been up to since the show aired, and shared some of the advice she wished someone would've given her about the realities of teen pregnancy.

Hey everybody, it's Martha! My life has been really good but I'm still struggling to get my high school diploma and do something for me and my son to move on forward. It's hard but I have learned never to give up! For all those girls out there, be very careful! Teen pregnancy is one of the hardest obstacles in life. It comes with a lot of struggles and things that can knock you down if you let yourself.

I have been strong for my son, but I could have prevented it from happening. I went from being a 16-year-old teenager to having my life change as a mom. Now I'm 18 with a 2-year-old son. It's hard but heart-warming to see how my son looks forward to seeing me. If your boyfriend tells you "if you love me you will have my baby" or "if you love me you will give it up to me" -- and those are the famous words most guys use to get you girls to be with them -- that means they don't truly love you. True love will wait and not force you. It's hard 'cause you might love that person, but you will love yourself throughout life knowing you weren't a fool to fall for those dumb words. Live your teenage years and have fun.

As for me, I have school and work. I don't have time for teenage life to go out with my friends but that's a life I chose to take. Be smart girls and protect yourselves! Be safe. If anybody would like to personally talk to me you may I would be happy to hear and answer any questions you may have! You can reach me at my email martha.mendez91@yahoo.com.

The highly-acclaimed documentary 'Yearbook Chronicles' aired last year on MTV Tr3s, and gave us an inside look at los problemas that Latino youth face en las escuelas. It also explored some of the most compelling reasons for the high Latino high school dropout rate, including teen pregnancy.

Did you know that 30% of female high-school dropouts stated teen pregnancy as the reason for dropping out of school? Among Hispanic girls who've left school, 38% of them stated teen pregnancy as the reason -- compared with 21% for non-Hispanic girls, it is sobering to think that this seems to be more frequent among Latinas.  While there are of course many other reasons besides teen motherhood for dropping out of school, and some girls leave school before they get pregnant, these two things have been closely connected. 69% of Latina teen mothers drop out of high school, and most teen moms who have babies by age 18 never finish high school, with only about 3% of them finishing college by age 30.

More startling facts? 52% of Latinas get pregnant at least once before turning 20 — that means if you're Latina, you're more likely than not to get pregnant as a teen. With nearly 3 in 10 girls becoming pregnant before they are 20 throughout the U.S., this is not just an issue for the Latino community, but a problem that needs to be faced head-on by la comunidad entera.

The good news, as Martha says in her note, is that unplanned and teen pregnancy is completely and 100% avoidable.  Fore more info and resources on the topic, check out The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy at www.thenationalcampaign.org, and www.stayteen.org.

Tags Education, National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnan, Stay Teen, teen pregnancy, Yearbook Chronicles