Nevadans try to solve riddle of state's high teen birthrate

Seventeen-year-old Amanda Chaney had planned to finish high school and go on to college before having children. But an evening of drinking with a friend led to an unexpected pregnancy.

"We drank too much, and when you drink, you're not thinking," she said.

The petite blonde seems more suited for a cheerleading uniform than the matronly maternity outfit she was wearing on the day she recounted her tale to a group of other teen mothers at Life Line Pregnancy Assistance Center.

"I cried when I found out," Chaney said, recalling when she received the results of her pregnancy test.

That positive test made Chaney, who had once been an honor student, a negative statistic -- one of thousands that convinced Gov. Bob Miller to declare May "Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month."

During the past decade, the state's teen birthrate jumped by 42 percent. Though it went down slightly last year, Nevada still ranks second highest in the nation in the number of teens giving birth. Last year 4,663 girls ranging in age from 10 to 19 were reported pregnant, according to the state Health Division.

When questioned about their actions, pregnant teens often are quoted as saying the path that led them to motherhood was littered with ignorance, peer pressure and a lack of self-esteem.

But why Nevada's teen birthrate is so high is a mystery. Teenagers, parents, educators, state officials and elected and religious leaders all have their theories, but no definitive answers.

Some believe that characteristics unique to this state are to blame.

Richard Thompson, director of Youth with a Mission Las Vegas, an interdenominational Christian missionary organization, agrees with the teens at Life Line that the transient nature of Las Vegas contributes to the high number of teen pregnancies.

"It's a unique city," he said. "There's nowhere else like it in the world. It's very transient, and people are reluctant to build relationships with other people.

"There is a real emotional detachment in Las Vegas. There is an emotional lack in their hearts, and sex is a way to get that love. People are searching."

Vikki Jaramilla-Gonzales, who is married and the mother of an 11-month-old girl, said the transient nature of Las Vegas, combined with single parents who work the night shift, adds to the problem.

"Some people aren't getting the support they need from their parents. Single parents work all the time, they get home, they're tired. They (the kids) are trying to fill a void," the 18-year-old said.

Thompson also pointed out that sex is a big industry here, an issue that the girls at Life Line also addressed.

"It's easy to get sex," Chaney said. "Sex isn't a big deal here. It's a normal thing because of the strip clubs, adult book stores and entertainment section in the phone book. Guys think all girls should be that way."

Richard Box, the youth pastor at Hallelujah Fellowship, said Las Vegas presents unusual challenges, especially for teens.

"You have to be honest about life in Las Vegas," he said, explaining that gaming is often linked with alcohol, strip clubs and prostitution. "Kids get folded up in that."

Danielle Jaggers, who is 19 and the mother of an 8-month-old son, agreed.

"This town is nothing but sex," the former Green Valley High School soccer player said.

But Box added that he does not think every teen in Las Vegas is sexually active.

"There are thousands of Las Vegas teens who practice abstinence," he said.

Along with the governor, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa wants to see that number, rather than the teen birthrate, increase. In May, her office distributed 1,000 pamphlets to agencies throughout the state with tips to help parents talk to their children about preventing teenage pregnancy.

"If you want to talk to your child (about sex) but don't know how to get things started, it gives you a step in the right direction," Bob Harmon, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said.

The pamphlets are also available in Spanish in response to the fact that the rate of teen pregnancy among the state's Hispanic population is experiencing the greatest increase.

A member of a nationwide task force to prevent teen pregnancy, Del Papa said the solution starts at home.

"The task force specifically pinpointed the significance of the role parents play in helping their children make responsible decisions," she said. "Parents and adults must continue to be encouraged to pay attention to teens, talk with them and give them reasons not to get pregnant."

Box said teens need to be taught abstinence and need to know that there are other kids who aren't having sex.

He said teenagers in his youth programs say they are harassed at school for being virgins.

"Kids are looking to belong," he said. "The greatest need is to be needed. Groups and peers are everything."

That's why Miller, in conjunction with the attorney general and the state Health Division, established a state Youth Advisory Council in January 1996 as part of a statewide initiative to prevent teen pregnancy.

The 10-member council represents communities across the state and advises state agencies on issues concerning Nevada's youth. Members, ages 15 to 20, met in May to focus on preventing teen pregnancies and created a skit advocating abstinence. They hope to present the skit to middle school students throughout the state, according to Judy Wright, chief of the state's bureau of family health services.

But 2 1/2 years after its kickoff, Wright admits the initiative is taking baby steps. While she would like to attribute last year's decline in the state's teen birthrate to the initiative's efforts, she has no way of measuring its success.

"The decline in pregnancy rates for 15- to 17-year-olds was significant," she said. "There are a lot of prevention efforts going on, and one would hope these initiatives are having an effect."

Teen pregnancy is a community issue, Wright said, and part of the initiative is trying to help communities figure out how best to deal with it through volunteer Community Action Teams. The teams are in the process of assessing contributing factors to teen pregnancy unique to their areas. "It takes the community to respond to it," Wright said.

But what if it's the community that is the problem?

Dr. Gene Butler, staff advisor for the Clark County School District's Sex Education Advisory Committee, agreed that the 24-hour nature of Las Vegas and the lack of parental supervision are contributing factors to the city's high teen birthrate.

But he has proof that more than half of the state's teenagers are adhering to the abstinence message. He said a 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey directed at middle school and high school students throughout the state revealed that 53 percent of the students reported they had not had sexual intercourse.

The girls at Life Line, who disagree with the survey's numbers, say parents, educators and state officials need to focus on educating the teens who are sexually active.

"Out of the whole school, maybe half of the freshmen are the only ones who aren't having sex," Chaney said.

Clark County schools' Sex Education Operational Guide for Curriculum Development outlines sex education for grades kindergarten through 12. For classes that include instruction in the human reproductive system and related communicable diseases, parents are required to sign a parent/guardian permission form.

Chaney said she didn't get permission from home to take a school district class on AIDS and birth control because her mom thought it was like giving her permission to have sex.

Leslie Chaney, Amanda's mother, said she objected only to the elementary school classes because she felt that, at that time, it was still her responsibility to talk her daughter about sex. She said she permitted Amanda to attend sex-education classes in middle school and high school.

Jaramillo-Gonzales said the district's sex-education classes are misdirected and should be aimed at a much younger audience. She suggested that if teen mothers were invited into classrooms to talk about sex and birth control, they would have a greater impact.

"Kids don't understand how tough it is to have kids," she said.

But Chaney is learning. Her baby boy was born three days before her graduation ceremony last week at the Thomas and Mack Center. There she proudly showed off her son along with her diploma from Horizons School.

"I'm both excited and scared," the young mother said.

SUN ASSISTANT METRO EDITOR Lisa Snedeker contributed to this report.

archive