1st Annual Teen Pregnancy Conference

A hastily put together summit on teen pregnancy prevention was announced today by Governor Phil Bryant’s office.  If one was going to have a summit, one might get the press release out a few weeks in advance.

And lets address the flyer.  There are several things amiss here in my opinion.  First of course is the stretch-marked pregnant belly.  Perhaps suggesting to an overly body conscious teen girl to not get pregnant because she will become unattractive?  Stretch marks are the reality for scores of women who have children so using it as the Governor has is degrading.  I have stretch marks (whoa nelly!) from my pregnancy and I am offended that this image is used.

And, since we know that young women get pregnant on their own, there is no penis pictured here, nor is there a boy anywhere on the flyer.

The advertising bursts contradict the fear centric imagery and add a strange air of levity to the event.  The font across the girl’s pregnant tummy is borderline whimsical.

The governor will be keynoting it seems, and, since he is staunchly abstinence only until marriage, I will be interested to hear his strategy for keeping teens from having sex.

The governor’s task force on teen pregnancy has done very little thus far.  In my conversations with women in the teen pregnancy prevention arena (both in and out of government agencies) only one town hall meeting has been held and no real committee meetings have been called.

Next Tuesday, December 11th will be one of the first sub-committee meetings – on faith-based organizations and the faith community.