First, some facts...

                  1)61% of teen mothers are impregnated by men 10 years or older.
                  2)1.2 million people, in 1991, had children out of wedlock.
                  3)In 1960 there were 243,000 children living with unmarried parents.
                  4)In 1993 there were 6.3 million children living with unmarried parents.
                  5)Under the Personal Responsibility Bill, single moms won't be
                      getting subsidized housing and they will be required to live with a parent
                      or guardian.
                  6)The average welfare recipient stays on welfare for two years.
                  7)San Francisco cut 1500 subsidized daycares.
                  8)$500 a month is the average cost for daycare for a child.
                  9)A teenage mother is more at risk of pregnancy complications such as
                     premature labor, anemia, high blood pressure, and placental problems.
                    These risks are even greater for teens who are under 15 years old.
               10)Three million teens are affected by sexually transmitted diseases annually,
                    out of a total of 12 million cases reported. These include chlamydia
                    (which can cause sterility), syphilis (which can cause blindness, deaf, and
                    death to the infant) and AIDS, which is fatal to the mother and can infect
                    the infant.
               11)In 1995, 9.3 percent of mothers ages 15 to 19 years had a low
                    birthweight baby (under 5.5 pounds), compared to 7.3 percent for
                    mothers of all ages. The risk is highest for the youngest mothers: 13.5
                    percent of mothers under 15 years of age had a low-birthweight baby in
                    1995.
              12)Low-birthweight babies may have organs that are not fully developed.
                   This can lead to lung problems such as respiratory distress syndrome, or
                   bleeding in the brain. Low-birthweight babies are 40 times more likely to
                   die in their first month of life than normal-weight babies.
              13)Teen mothers are more likely to drop out of high school than girls who
                    delay childbearing.
             14)With her education cut short, a teenage mother may lack job skills, making
                   it hard for her to find and keep a job. A teenage mother may become
                   financially dependent on her family or on welfare. Teen mothers are more
                   likely to live in poverty than women who delay childbearing, and nearly
                   half of unmarried teens receive welfare at some time within two years of
                   giving birth.
             15)Children whose mothers were age 17 or younger when they were born
                   tend to have more school difficulties and poorer health than children whose
                   mothers were 20 to 21 when they were born.
 

           Now here's some useful information for those of you already pregnant:

            NOTE:  Because of the risks involved in teen pregnancy to both mother and
               child, the March of Dimes strongly urges teenage girls to delay childbearing.

             Teens who already are pregnant can improve their chances of having a
              healthy baby by:

                 - Getting early and regular prenatal care from a health care provider or
                    clinic.
                 -Eating a nutritious and balanced diet.
                 -Consuming 400 micrograms of folic acid (the amount found in most
                   multivitamin supplements) daily to reduce the risk of serious birth defects
                   of the brain and spine.
                 -Avoiding smoking (and secondhand smoke) and alcoholic beverages.
                 -Avoiding all drugs, unless recommended by a health care provider who
                   is  aware of the pregnancy.

( Resource:  The Highlands Family Center Handouts)

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