Walnut High School - Cayuse Yearbook (Walnut, CA)

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HOW WOULD VOL HANDLE AM INPLANMED PREGIMAIMCY GIRLS BOYS Get married and have the baby Have an abortion Have the baby and not get married Have the baby and give it up for adop- tion 53.4 0 45.6% 17.9 30.6 14.5 11.7 14.2 12.1 toM. cRiWRood to pomdood Thousands Join — every day! never would have thought this could happen to me. What am I going to do? How am I going to tell my parents? These were common feelings among girls who became pregnant while they were In high school. Some Walnut High School students were among those girls faced with the same dilemma. In 1987, studies showed that more than 3,000 girls became pregnant each day. At this rate, 39 out of every 100 girls was expected to become pregnant at least once before she reached the age of twenty. When a teenage girl became preg- nant, she was faced with making adult decisions. For the first time in my life, I was forced to make a big decision. It was hard — mostly because my decision would change my life, said one stu- dent. Family planning programs like Planned Parenthood of America were available to help teenage girls with un- wanted pregnancies. They provided confidential counseling to those who took advantage of their services. 40 Student Life Teen Pregnancy I felt like I had no- thing in connmon with my friends anymore. While I was worrying about my future as a mother, my friends were worried about boys, clothes, arid school. I had a ittoBp responsibilities to think aboU iy Planned Parenthood Community Educator Caroline Reta saib. Most teenagers don ' t take the time, to con- sider their futures when they dacide to become sexually jctive. When they find out they ' re pregnant, they ' re forced to think about their future. But now they have a baby to consider also. For many girls, being pregnant meant leaving school. If she decided to keep her baby, she most likely continued her education at a continuation school or through home studies. For most, It kept them from doing things they normally would have been able to do, like cheerleading or partici- pating in sports. All in all, they were iso- lated from what their friends were do- ing. I felt like I had nothing in common with my friends anymore. While I was worrying about my future as a mother, my friends were worried about boys, clothes and school. I had a lot more responsibilities to think about, said one student. Most teenage girls who became preg- nant believed deciding whether to have the baby, terminate the pregnancy, or put it up for adoption was the biggest decision they had ever had to make. But whatever her decision, each indi- vidual girl felt it was the best thing for her to do. sto ry by Gloria Sarichez: layout by Grace Do- mingo 1

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Daily Routines Student Life

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