Teen Pregnancy On The Rise Again In North Carolina, The State Needs More Education On Sexual Health

Reports of teen pregnancy were said to be declining nationwide earlier this year, however, there are still some counties and states that are struggling to keep up. Among these places are McDowell, New Hanover and Bladen County in North Carolina as these counties are seeing an increase in teen pregnancy.

SHIFT or Sexual Health Initiatives for Teens made an interesting report in North Carolina, according to McDowell News. SHIFT reported the increase in teen pregnancy from 2013 to 2014 to go up by about 21.7 percent affecting 59 girls ranging from 15 to 19.

Based on the statistics, about twenty-five percent of teen mothers have had more than one pregnancy before they even hit the age of 20. Thirteen of them had a repeat of pregnancy, aging from 15 and 17.

McDowell County has hit the 17th spot on the list of towns that is experiencing an increase in teen pregnancy. SHIFT's report also included an increase in the number of people suffering from different types of sexually transmitted diseases. About 109 teens in this county alone were found to have chlamydia back in 2013. In that same year, four people were said to have gonorrhea while five contracted HIV.

New Hanover and Bladen in North Carolina also see an increase in teenage pregnancy, reported WECT 6. The case of teen pregnancy in these counties went up to 7.1 percent and 11.6 percent, respectively.

The matter of teen pregnancy is the reason why SHIFT exists since it is an adolescent pregnancy prevention program. Its aim is to educate the young people in North Carolina about their sexual health and, in the end, allow these teens to make better judgments to avoid regrets later in life.