Latest local statistics (2012) are Bay County 36 teen births per 1,000; Midland 23 and Saginaw 42, according to Kids Count database funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The tri-county average is 33.7 percent - Just under the state average. Teen Birth Rate in Bay, Saginaw Counties Tops State Average; Midland Lower
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As a nationwide political debate rages over definitions of rape, one commentator has noted that Milwaukee, Wisconsin, found a link of rape and high teen pregnancy.
In 2006, Milwaukee took note of a sad distinction: it had one of the highest rates of teen births in the nation, with 52 births per thousand teen-age girls (ages 15-19).
Latest local statistics (2012) are Bay County 36 teen births per 1,000; Midland 23 and Saginaw 42, according to the Kids Count database funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The tri-county average is 33.7 percent. This is just under the state average of 34.
In Milwaukee, civic leaders became even more troubled when they explored the data and consequences.
Rates for black teens were five times higher than for whites.
Most disturbingly, interviews with service providers showed that 'teen pregnancy' statistics were quite often a manifestation of sexual abuse, incest, dating violence and statutory rape, with 71 percent of all teen births fathered by men over the age of 20.
The economic cost to Milwaukee of births by unmarried teens in 2002 came to a staggering $137 million over the lifetime of the children born. The child poverty rate (41 percent) ranked fourth in the nation, fueled in part by teen birth rates.
Pregnant teens are more likely than older women to receive late or no prenatal care, have gestational hypertension and anemia, and achieve poor maternal weight gain. They are also more likely to have a pre-term delivery and low birth weight, increasing the risk of child developmental delay, illness, and mortality, according to the study.
Civic leaders recognized teen pregnancy as closely linked to other issues Milwaukee was grappling with: education, crime and the cycle of poverty. Moved to action, United Way of Greater Milwaukee (UWGM) convened a group that same year. They called it the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Oversight Committee, chaired by Elizabeth Brenner, the publisher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Fast Facts:
Community: Milwaukee, WI
Problem: One of the highest rates of teen births in nation
Results: 31 percent decline in teen birth rate for 15 to 17 year olds since 2006;
Differentiating Feature: United Way of Greater Milwaukee is uniquely positioned to play the convener role. It has the trust of the community, the power (and political neutrality) to convene at the highest levels, and the independence to make a long-term commitment to a politicized issue.
Pro-Life Wisconsin has criticized United Way for referring rape victims to Planned Parenthood in a Milwaukee campaign against statutory rape. Planned Parenthood currently faces criminal charges in Kansas, as well as an investigations by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Investigations, for allegedly performing abortions on minors and failing to report instances of statutory rape and sexual abuse.
"Pro-choice and pro-life advocates in all parts of the country have tried to make abortion a United Way issue," United Way's policy states. "United Ways have taken a position of neutrality on this divisive issue because we do not want any single topic to overshadow our mission to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities -- No United Way funds are currently used, or have ever been used to support abortion services."
Bevan Baker, the city's commissioner of health, brought together a broad cross section of public officials, service providers, researchers and funders. What emerged was a highly specific road map for action and an ambitious goal: to reduce the teen birth rate by 46 percent by 2015, bringing Milwaukee in line with the national average and well below the average for a large city.
Progress has been encouraging. Preliminary data for 2010 shows a 31 percent decrease in the teen birth rate since 2006, with births dropping to 36 per thousand teenage girls. A cutting-edge public awareness campaign has ensured that virtually every Milwaukeean, both urban and suburban, is now aware of the issue. The greatest focus has been on teens themselves.
For example, in partnership with the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), the collaborative has trained close to 1,000 teachers. This effort has dramatically increased the proportion of MPS' approximately 80,000 students who are receiving age-appropriate, science-based curriculum on sexuality.
Meanwhile, United Way's Healthy Girls programs have provided about 16,000 young people with additional education on teen pregnancy, sexual violence, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV prevention.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has cited the collaborative's broad partnership, focus on evidence-based interventions and ambitious goal.
In Milwaukee's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, United Way of Greater Milwaukee saw clearly that teens needed multiple reinforcing messages to change their behavior.
The initiative centers on direct education and counseling via public schools, nonprofits and the faith community. In addition, an innovative public awareness campaign by Serve Marketing changed the conversation among teens, their friends and parents. The campaign began with ads making the case that teen pregnancy impacted everyone in greater Milwaukee (even the suburbs) due to its economic cost. Subsequently, peer teens were engaged through a series of provocative ads, radio spots and even a fake movie premiere. The collaborative also reached out to parents. ###
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