Family Life

Family Life

Curriculum

questioned

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock News Staff Writer

Representatives of the county’s service agencies agreed with high school guidance counsellor Joyce Brown that the school system should reexamine the Family Life Curriculum, but they also agreed changing the behavior that has led to an increase in teen-age pregnancy will be very difficult.

Public Health nurse Marion Sharp said she also has noticed an increase in pregnancies among high school girls. In 1990 there were 12 pregnancies among Rappahannock teen-agers, but nine of these were to girls who were 18 or 19 years old, she said. During the past year, she said, she has seen many more young girls come to the Health Department for pregnancy tests.

She said the girls wait while she runs the tests, and she believes most have no idea of how their lives will change if they have a baby. “It seems much more socially acceptable to have babies while they are in school than it was,” she said. “I expect them to be devastated if they find out they are pregnant, but some are happy.”

Before the Family Life curriculum was adopted, Mrs. Sharp used to go into the schools to talk to physical education classes. She said the Health Department has always advised abstinence as the best method for avoiding pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, but she also discussed birth control. For the past three years, she has not been asked to visit the school.

“I would be glad to help with these classes,” she said. “These kids need a reality shock. They need to know the reality of what it is like to have a baby. They need to know the nuts and bolts of birth control. A lot of these kids are so hit and miss. I think it had an impact. We got a lot of follow up calls at the Health Department. 1 don’t think kids will be more inclined to have sex because we tell them about birth control.”

■I (See Family, Page A-3