PREGNANCY PREVENTION
I graduated from Bible College in 1990 earning a dual bachelor’s degree one in Science of the Bible and the other in the science of Social Work. I already had a job waiting for me at graduation; an offer I accepted as an intern in Social Work. The position was a counselor for an agency working with homeless, runaway youth that provided emergency shelter with a goal of reuniting the youth with their families. One of the tasks to this position was facilitating workshops to high school students. I was invited to facilitate a weekly workshop to a class of ninth graders; Relations in Society. The goal of this class was to educate the students and make them aware of community based agencies that provided services to youth. The agency I worked for offered a series of workshops on healthy relationships. One of the topics was on pregnancy prevention providing an overview of the human anatomy, sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptives. To prove a point that pregnancy can happen the first time with and without intercourse I shared my mother’s story regarding her unplanned pregnancy resulting in my birth.
The reason I know my mother’s story is this: my mother was married when she was three months pregnant and 19 years old. This is my mother’s story. My mother was dating my father and he had made a few attempts at making sexual advances. Finally, during Christmas week and behind her parents barn, my mother agree to allow my father to touch her vagina with his penis to which he ejaculated on her. My mother said there was no penetration, no intercourse because she did not want to get pregnant. Both my mother and my father believed they would be “okay” and no one would ever know. My mother said that later, she told her mother (my grandmother) that she missed her menstruation cycle. My grandmother told her not to worry because at times the cycles might be late and to just wait. Next thing my mother knew her cycle did not happen and she just missed the second one and was feeling sick in the mornings. My grandmother, from previous experiences believed my mother was not feeling well again and took her to the doctor. My mother went in to the doctor’s office and received a complete exam while my grandmother waited. My mother said that the doctor could not find anything wrong with her and decided to take another test. When the doctor was done, he called my grandmother into the office with a confused look on his face stating, “Mrs. K, I don’t understand. Your daughter seems to be in good health but I decided to do another test. Your daughter is pregnant but she is still a virgin.” At that, my grandmother asked my mother what she had done because she was not the “virgin Mary.” Then the doctor understood how my mother became pregnant.
I shared this story with the ninth graders who laughed because they did not believe the story. The students said, “Your mother had to have intercourse to get pregnant.” The students had to know that what they believed was false; you did not have to have intercourse to get pregnant. I shared with the students exactly how the doctor explained to my mother and my grandmother the way my mother got herself pregnant. The doctor said when one ejaculates close enough to one’s vagina, sperm can live and crawl up the canal into the uterus and should there be an egg, fertilization can occur and one can become pregnant. Twenty-one years later, I shared this same story to high school students participating in our Summer Peer Leadership program where I now work. In our Pregnancy Prevention program we include all possible ways that pregnancy can occur. Of course, the Peer Leaders had the same reaction as the students did those years ago; they laughed, believing that you can only get pregnant by having sexual intercourse. We would provide resources from the Internet for the students to read for themselves.
I am finding that there are some adults that still believe one cannot get pregnant without sexual intercourse. To my surprise, as we were discussing our work with educating our youth on pregnancy prevention with my friend’s brother-in-law, I told him about my mother’s experience that I shared with the youth. My friend’s brother-in-law is a nurse, had gone to medical school and did not believe my mother’s story. Why do I share this information about the prevention of pregnancy among today’s youth? May was National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. As Health Educators, youth need to know the facts, dispel all myths that youth may have and encourage youth to make the right decisions.
Youth, whoever you are, we cannot tell you nor force you to stop engaging in sexual activity; we know you will engage. Should you do so and you are not ready to be pregnant or have a baby, use protection. Our job as Health Educators is to ensure that you know “what’s up” and make the right choices in the prevention of getting pregnant. The best choice is abstinence; refrain from sexual activity and hopefully until you are married and ready.
Comments
Post a Comment