Teen Pregnancy and the Safe Haven Law
By Elaine Stillerman, LMT
Teen pregnancy is a major public health issue that is often wrought with considerable medical, nutritious, social and economic risk for young women. Among industrialized nations, the United States has one of the highest births rates per 1,000 teenagers ages 15-19, although, in recent years, these numbers are declining. During the mid-1990’s, the birth rate for this group was 54.4 births per 1,000 with the District of Columbia having the highest rate (64.7 births per 1,000). Mississippi had the highest state rate (64.7 births per 1,000) and New Hampshire the lowest (20.0).
Each year, almost 1 million teenage girls become pregnant worldwide. In the U.S., 13% of births are to teenage girls. In ¾ of the cases, the pregnancy was not intended, at least not conscientiously.
There are some serious consequences of teen pregnancies for the mother and the child. As a rule, this group doesn’t eat nutritiously and are more likely to indulge in unhealthy habits such as drugs, smoking ad alcohol consumption. They are also more likely to have anemia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preterm delivery, babies with low birth weight, prolonged labors, babies with genetic disorders and 60% higher infant and maternal mortality rates. Girls under the age of 16 are 5 times more likely to die during or right after the pregnancy than a woman ten years older.
When it comes to making proper nutritional food choices, teens don’t realize the dangers their unhealthy habits posed to their babies. Nutritional status is especially important for adolescents. Not only is their body still growing, but now she has to supply energy, fuel and valuable nutrients to their developing babies. Many teens enter pregnancy already with poor nutritional status and research shows that teens deliver lower birth weight babies than grown adult women despite similar weight gains. It is important for teens to gain weight at the upper range to support growth of the fetus and their own bodies.
Iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutrient deficiency of pregnancy and young girls are at greater risk for developing anemia due to the increase in iron demand for their own growing bodies as well as fetal needs. Most girls 12-19 years old don’t consume adequate amounts of calcium and if the calcium consumption does not increase during pregnancy, skeletal growth and the development of their own peak bone mass may be jeopardized. Young pregnant girls are advised to take supplements in addition to eating a calcium-rich diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially dark greens.
The emotional and educational needs are numerous in teen pregnancies. It is very common for these youngsters to feel alone and scared. Listening to them is a very important tool to learn what their needs are and to tune into their feelings behind the questions. Maintaining a non-judgmental attitude is essential when offering support.
An expectant teen may not understand the roles of the obstetrician, midwife or nurse and are constantly being bombarded with information on what they should do. Many don’t even have an idea how their own bodies function and have no knowledge of the process of labor. Or what they do know comes from television and their friends.
For a teen that is struggling emotionally with the transition to babyhood, especially if she has no other support system in place, a baby may represent a recreation of her own childhood, as she would like it to be. A troubling childhood is often a compelling reason to have a child. Another reason teens become pregnant is that they think it will solidify the relationship with the baby’s father.
About 40% of teens electively terminate the pregnancy. If she decides to keep her baby, a great deal of support is needed. In this country, a large percentage of teenage mothers drop out of school and almost 80% of teen mothers go on welfare.
In Brooklyn, New York, the Rose F Kennedy Family Center of the Brooklyn Child and Family Services, Inc. is a transitional residence for homeless, pregnant and parenting young women and their children. The Center provides an intimate, homelike atmosphere where young women and their children can gain the support necessary to prevent a return to homelessness. The Center offers transitional housing, on-site professional day care, social work services, parenting and independent living skills workshops, housing placement, employment readiness, advocacy and referrals to more than thirty families each year.
For those teen mothers who decide they don’t want to keep their babies, they can deliver their babies to safe hands in any hospital emergency room or designated sites such as a County fire station without the fear of legal repercussion. This is the law called the Newborn Abandonment Law or Safe Haven Law. Under this law, a person may surrender an unwanted infant confidentially, without the fear of arrest or prosecution.
A distressed parent who is unable or unwilling to care for an infant can give up custody of a baby who is less than 72 hours old. The infant has to be turned over to a Safe Haven site and as long as the child exhibits no signs of intentional abuse, the person surrendering the child does not have to reveal his or her identity. The parent will be asked to complete a medical form to help care for the child, but no identifying information is required. She will also be offered medical treatment, which she can refuse.
Once the infant is given up, she will be examined and given any necessary medical treatment. Then the Department of Children and Family Services will take custody and place the child in a foster or pre-adoptive home. If the parent changes her mind and wants the baby back, she must call the local Dept of Children and Family Services within 14 days of surrendering the infant. After14 days, the process becomes more difficult.
While the number of teen pregnancies is declining, those young women who do become pregnant need additional support. Agencies are there to help those young women who seek their help. The important thing is to help these youngsters learn to take care of themselves and their babies.
For more information:
Brooklyn Child and Family Services, Inc
718-330-0845
Safe Haven Hot Line
1-877-725-5111 24 hours a day
March of Dimes
www.marchofdimes.com
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