Teen mom urges youths to use contraceptives

It was quite alarming for Michelle Aldan at 17 to discover she was pregnant. Barely a year ago, she had a clear-cut notion of what her future was going to be. She had planned to pursue college after high school and build a career for her future family.

In a fraction of a second, Michelle felt her dreams and aspirations come tumbling down.

While admitting she is not ready for parenthood, Michelle has chosen to accept the responsibilities her impulsive actions have brought to her teen life.

And without the support and patience of her family, the teenager confesses the whole scenario could have been one horrible nightmare.

“I never thought I could get pregnant. My Aunt has always advised me to use birth control but I did not pay attention,” Michelle related to a group of junior high school students during the Parent/Teen symposium spearheaded by the Department of Public Health yesterday.

Over 70 youths from Saipan’s lone junior high school heard Michelle narrate her story, an example which the teen mother hopes will awaken students on the consequences of pre-marital sex.

Michelle believes the best way to protect youths from getting pregnant is through contraceptives.

“My boyfriend and I never used birth control. We never really thought about it. I knew about birth control and its use but didn’t pay much attention,” she said.

If she only heeded her elders’ advise on using contraception, Michelle would have gone through her adolescent life free from parental worries and concerns.

“Now, I don’t think of myself anymore, I mostly think of my daughter. I envy my friends who can go out and live away from home and go to school in the mainland,” she added.

Whenever she attends gatherings, Michelle makes it a point to take four-month-old Mayomi with her.

Michelle who is turning 18 next month would have graduated high school this year if it were not for the baby she carried.

“But I have plans to go back to school and eventually go to college for my child,” Michelle said.

The most sensible advice she can share to CNMI’s youth: Don’t even think about engaging in sex at such an early age.

“I hope you guys do not do what I did. There are productive things you can focus your attention on like education, sports, and others. Given the chance to change things, I wish I had paid more attention to protecting myself…I don’t regret having my daughter but I think I could have had her any time, when I am ready…,” Michelle revealed to her fellow youths.

Teen pregnancy is only one of the many consequences resulting from pre-marital sex. There are other more serious, even deadly effects acquired through the sexual act. It could cause people to be infected with sexually-transmitted diseases particularly HIV/AIDS.

In the United States alone, approximately one million teens become pregnant each year. The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative reports 115 gestations per 1,000 females in this age group.

In the Northern Marianas, more than 100 female teens aged 15-19 give birth every year. The Commonwealth Health Center recorded 134 births to female teens in this age bracket, and four among female teens 15 years old and below in 1996.

HIV, which causes AIDS, poses a special threat to young people, especially girls, and an estimated two-thirds of those who acquire AIDS are infected by age 25. (MM)