Last month we conducted a poll asking people to guess out of every 10 girls how many become pregnant at least once by age 20 in the United States. The answer: "three in ten." This was more than just a trivia question. We wanted people to think about just how many teen pregnancies we're talking about here. "Three in ten" reflects the importance of Generation Hope's work and the work of so many organizations across the country that are trying to help pregnant and parenting teens to create successful lives.
"Three in ten" means there are a lot of young women in this country who find themselves pregnant before they've even graduated from high school. Many of them will not earn a high school diploma and most of them won't come close to earning a college degree. We're not talking about a small group of unruly teens here. This large number means that you may know someone who has been in this situation or who will be in this situation. We're talking about your neighbor, your student, your niece, or even your daughter. If we want to better our communities, we need to care about helping teen parents succeed.
Want more statistics on teen pregnancy and teen births? The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has a wealth of information at the national and state level. Check it out.
Inspired to become a Generation Hope sponsor? Please email us.
- GH
PS: We've posted a new poll to the right. Take a guess!
