An Investment with a Guaranteed Return

It is extremely difficult to turn on the radio, watch your television, or walk down the street these days without hearing someone talk about the swine flu.  Sixteen confirmed cases in South Carolina have been enough to create an absolute media frenzy. Granted, swine flu is an issue that deserves our attention, along with economic recovery efforts and corporate bailouts, just to name a few.

Yet, in comparison, the more than 10,000 teen girls who get pregnant in our state each year barely get mentioned.

It stands to reason that full media saturation of the aforementioned topics elevates their position on the general public's radar screen, certainly higher than presumably inconsequential social issues like say, teen pregnancy.  Oddly enough the prevention of teen pregnancy has more in common with economic recovery, corporate bailouts and the swine flu than one might predict.  There is a tie that binds the proposed solutions to all of these matters: investment.  Yes, times are tough and convincing people to increase their investments in any place, on any level, seems a bit counterintuitive.   Yet, consider the following solutions that have been offered in response to some of the "challenges du jour." 

President Obama's recent remarks to the National Academy of Sciences adjusted slightly in response to concerns over swine flu included, "... our capacity to deal with a public health challenge of this sort rests heavily on the work of our scientific and medical community.  And this is one more example of why we cannot allow our nation to fall behind."  Moreover the President's remarks gave emphasis to the need for further investments into science and research.  Similarly www.recovery.gov, a website set up to provide insight into the progress of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act states, "the (Act) is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy... targets investments towards key areas..."  Even within the private sector many of the sharpest economic minds in the business share a common answer to the question of what to do to help us out of this current state?  Simply, keep investing. 

Keep investing.  My thoughts exactly!  There are over 1,000,000 young people under the age of 18 currently living in South Carolina.  According to SC KIDS COUNT, "... too many of our youngsters are at risk of becoming unskilled, disconnected, and unproductive adults. A quarter of South Carolina's children are at severe risk, and another quarter are at moderate risk of not growing up to be self-supporting adults, and responsible community citizens."   More than one in every three of these youth will become pregnant at least once before their 20th birthday.  Quite simply this is a failure rate that is unacceptable but one that can be improved if we are willing to make a more substantial investment.  Be mindful that investment can take on many forms and, in fact, must go beyond simple dollars and cents.  May is nationally recognized as Teen Pregnancy Prevention month.  The entire month provides us a unique opportunity to refocus attention on an issue critical to the overall health, well-being and economic stability of our state and nation. 

Parents and family members are one of the most essential components of an effective teen pregnancy prevention strategy.  Make no mistake that conversations about love, sex and relationships need to begin and end at home.  Nearly 9 in 10 young people agree it would be easier for them to postpone pregnancy if they were able to have open, honest dialogue about these topics with a caring family member.  Sadly, only about half of all youth are fortunate enough to have had such a conversation.  Parents need to increase their investment. 

School-based sex education also plays a critical role in preventing teen pregnancy.  More than 8 in 10 registered voters in South Carolina support an approach to school-based sex education that emphasizes abstinence as the first and best choice for all young people, and also includes information on condoms and contraception.  Our state's Comprehensive Health Education Act allows for such education to be delivered, but too often local school districts do not carry through.  Such is the case with unfunded mandates.  Schools are not to blame for high rates of teen pregnancy, nor should they be asked to single-handedly solve the problem.  But, they should be asked to increase their investment in young people through the delivery of evidence-based, proven comprehensive sex education.

A complete list of those from whom more is required would take space beyond what I am allowed in this column.  Community-based programs and youth serving agencies all over the country are being asked to do more with less.  Now is not the time to cut these programs, but rather to strengthen efforts and increase our investment.  Those in faith communities must increase their investment to deliver messages that are clear and consistent around love, sex and relationships.  The business community must make a more substantial investment in mentoring and apprenticeship programs.  Elected officials must do their part to ensure that funding for critical issues like teen pregnancy prevention remain in tightened budgets. 

Each of us must take time this month to increase our investment in the future of South Carolina.  There are few investment opportunities, especially in the current time, that guarantee a return.  An investment in young people and teen pregnancy prevention can do exactly that.  More to the point we can no longer afford to pay the costs, both economic and social, that are associated with a failure do our part in investing in this critical issue.  After all, the only thing at this point that is unacceptable is doing nothing.