The month of May is designated as Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month across the country. Locally, May has been proclaimed as Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month by Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield and Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey.

First Things First, Why Know Abstinence Education, and the Girl Scouts of Moccasin Bend Council are joining together to increase awareness among local teens on teen pregnancy with the “One Test You Don’t Want to Take: Abstinence Works” campaign for Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.

Teen pregnancies cost Tennessee taxpayers $181 million each year and $9.1 billion nationally. The United States has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and births in the industrialized world. Tennessee ranks 10th in the nation for births to teens ages 15-17.

Hamilton County has one of the highest rankings in Tennessee for teen pregnancy with an average of 200 teens (ages 10-17) giving birth each year.

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, only 41 percent of teens who begin their families before the age of 18, ever earn a high-school diploma. In addition, 80 percent of teenage mothers become dependent on welfare for life.

“It is critical for teens to understand the concept of ‘success sequencing,’ which means doing the right things at the right time and in the right order,” said Julie Baumgardner, president and executive director of First Things First. “Research shows that if teens graduate from high school, don’t have a baby until they are married, and don’t marry during the teen years, they greatly reduce their chances of poverty and divorce.”

"We believe that an important part of the Girls Scout’s mission is to help girls resist negative peer pressure that could limit a girl's opportunity to reach her full potential,” said Carlene Brady, vice president of Program Services for Girl Scouts of Moccasin Bend Council. “We believe that by providing abstinence education, girls will be better prepared to make healthy life choices."

Nearly one million babies are born to teen mothers each year nationwide. These children experience higher rates of low-birth weight and related health problems, suffer from poor school performance, and often fall victim to abuse and neglect, officials said.

“Our organizations have joined forces for the good of our teens, their future families, and our community as a whole,” said CEO of Why Know Abstinence Education Lesley Scearce. “We work with teens each day who need information, strong support from adults, and straight talk about sex and its consequences outside of marriage. We hope that Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month will open the door for a community wide discussion on these topics and that teens and adults across our city and surrounding counties will work toward a successful future for our youth and the end of teen pregnancy.”

For more information on Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, please visit one of these websites: www.whyknow.org, www.firstthings.org, or www.mbgsc.org.