N.C. works to prevent Latina teen pregnancy

North Carolina’s Latina teenagers have the third highest pregnancy rate in the country, a statistic some organizations are trying to change.

About 118 of 1,000 Latinas aged 15 to 19 in the state got pregnant in 2009, reported an Oct. 18 Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina study.

This figure compares to the 56 out of every 1,000 rate that stands for the overall state population.

The campaign will host a symposium on preventing Latina teen pregnancy for educators and health providers Monday at the Friday Center.

“Our big lesson learned is when you have youth involved in that kind of advocacy, you get a lot farther in actually creating change,” said Elizabeth Finley, spokeswoman for the organization.

Finley said reasons for the high Latina pregnancy rate include language barriers, a lack of information and limited post-secondary school opportunities.

She said not having goals to strive for, like higher education, makes teenagers more likely to adopt risky behaviors.

To combat the high pregnancy rate, El Pueblo, a Raleigh-based Latino advocacy organization, started a youth group focused on sexual and reproductive education last year.

Carol Flores Hodgman, coordinator for the “Our Rights Have No Borders” group, said the organization’s biggest goal is to see youth become involved in a reproductive health movement.

Hodgman said many Latinas think they have less access to health services because of legal status issues, but that thought pattern isn’t accurate.

“It’s usually somebody that doesn’t have papers thinks they don’t have any rights, and that’s not right,” she said.

“We want youth to know that they shouldn’t be afraid.”

The group, which hosts 10 information sessions each year addressing health rights, anatomy and STD prevention, held its most recent event Oct. 23 at the Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel.

The forum, “Youth Links: Advocating for Our Sexual and Reproductive Rights,” sought to enable Latino youth to become leaders in the sexual and reproductive health movement and to strengthen the connection between this movement and the immigration agenda.

The forum was co-hosted by Ipas, a women’s reproductive rights organization based in Chapel Hill.

Mary Martin Vance, youth program coordinator for the pregnancy prevention campaign, led a discussion at the forum.

Vance said the advocacy component of the forum is an integral part of the awareness movement.

“That’s the only way this act will ever really get effectively implemented: if young people are asking for it and demanding it,” she said.

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