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Paying Teens Not To Get Pregnant ! Your views?
Family & Parenting / 8:25 AM - Friday November 20, 2009

Paying Teens Not To Get Pregnant ! Your views?

Greensboro, NC -- Some opponents call it idiotic, but supports say paying these teens pays off for the rest of us.

14-year-old Tiwan Goodner and these other girls are not just learning self-defense but self-discipline and they're taking these moves to the bank.

"We are paying them to avoid pregnancy, to graduate from high school and enroll in college. Because it is a short term and a long-term incentive for them to change their life trajectory," says Hazel Brown, coordinator of the "College Bound Sisters" program at UNCG.

These girls all have older sisters who got pregnant before turning eighteen.

"Most teens that's having babies, they still a child thyself. If they can't take care of thyself, they can't take care of their child," says Tiwan.

Along with self defense techniques, Tiwan learns about abstinence, contraceptives and preparing for college. Tiwan and the "College Bound Sisters" earn $7 a week for coming to this hour and a half program. She has more than $600 saved up right now.

"It's a lot when you don't have any."

To cash in, Tiwan must stay in school and stay pregnancy-free. The dollars are only collectable when she enrolls in college.

"Because they know they have a thousand plus dollars earned and know they will lose it if they drop out of the program, it is incentive for them to stay with it," says Brown.

Brown designed the UNC-G program that started in 1997. She says her data shows these girls are twice as likely to avoid pregnancy as other at-risk teens.

Girls can earn more than $2,200 through the program. They also get five dollars a week for transportation, and a 25-dollar cash bonus for recruiting someone to the program.
Opponents say that kind of paycheck is sending the wrong message.

"To pay someone not to do something wrong, or not to make a mistake like that, that's a concern," says Bill Wright, Chairman of the Republic Party in Guilford County.

Wright says encouraging teen girls to avoid pregnancy is a good idea, but not a good way to spend taxpayer money.

"I'd prefer it be funded by civic organizations, churches or other non-profits and not tax dollars. There's a certain thing called individual responsibility. And I think society is often taking us away from that and trying to put more of that on government."

The program runs on a grant for $75,000 a year.

"Cost for one of these girls is nothing compared to one teenage baby prevented," says Brown.

If one of these girls became a teen mom, Brown says it could cost taxpayers as much as $250,000 when you consider 18 years of Medicaid and other assistance.

Tiwan knows being a teen mom is not part of her plan. "I want to be something in my life. I want to get degrees and I want to have a good job."

So why not just have the program without paying the teens? Brown says that might work for some, but it would be a lot harder to get most teens to stick with it.

Remember they don't get the money until they register for college.

A non-profit group found teen pregnancies cost taxpayers more than $9.1 billion each year.

In North Carolina, nearly 20,000 teens age 15 to 19 got pregnant in 2008.

- Asked by lom2009, A Guy Critical, Male, 36-45

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I think this is a novel idea! These are at risk teenage girls who need direction. This program affords them the opportunity to succeed in life. Sure they are paid to stay on the straight and narrow, but aren't all of us motivated by some pay-off in life either through monetary means, or emotional fulfillment? If there was no pay-off then we wouldn't be motivated to do anything in life!

In the end I think prevention programs save tax payers money, plus we are grooming productive members of society. How wonderful!


- Response by kdtxchic30, A Thinker, Female, 36-45, Dallas, Who Cares?

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That is ridiculous you shoudln't have to pay someone to do something they should already be doing. How about threatening these girls with knowing if they get pregnant they will get no welfare to support the bastard, I bet they stop spreading their legs then.

- Response by A Creative, Female, 18-21, Student

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umm, this method costs much less than if all the participants had babies.

Totally for this program. Obviously teens more incentive than a promise ring.

- Response by drallig9399, A Hip Hop Guy, Male, 26-28, Administrative

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To the anon that says threaten no support. Lets be serious, that is not ever going to happen. Since the program is a REALISTIC approach it is better.

- Response by drallig9399, A Hip Hop Guy, Male, 26-28, Administrative

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This is really dumb, the program has good intentions and it's at least teaching them contraceptives and not just absitance, which is a good step. But who is to say that these girls aren't just being stupid anyway, getting money for attending the class is good but it's flawed in the fact that they could be out and having sex and being unprotected and still going to the classes to get money. Plus what's the stop them from getting a real job and being a responsbile member of society if she's getting paid to attend a class every week. It's got good intentions but it's very flawed, not going to work.

Dantzi Jean

- Response by dantzijean, A Thinker, Female, 26-28, Student

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I think supporting teens who go to college is a great plan. Teens who become teen mothers usually are looking for love and have no future plans...Education is the key..Rosey

- Response by roseytalks, A Thinker, Female, Who Cares?, Tampa, Who Cares?

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This is ABSURD. How about they get the money AFTER they GRADUATE!? Not just bc they registered. I am 100% against this program. Where the hell are the parents to teach their children discipline!?

- Response by zinerva, An Engaged Girl, Female, 29-35, Dallas

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They get the money when they "enroll" in college? If they wanted to ensure that the taxpayers don't end up footing the bill for another teen mother then the stipulation should have been you get the money after you've obtained an Associates Degree at the minimum so that the mother is more marketable to employers after the child is born. Who is to say after enrolling in college and collecting their money that some of these girls won't throw all that knowledge out the window and get pregnant anyway.

- Response by A Married Girl, Female, 36-45, Who Cares?

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I think that this is a wonderful idea... although they should also provide free or discounted controceptives... and I think that they should also find another source of money rather than tax-payer money...because there are more important causes that need to be taken care of at this time. For example, children with serious health issues, familes that need food, and housing,ect...


Over all the idea is great because some girls don't get the support from home that they need, and this would give them that support. This would also help out tax payers because most teens that get pregnant recieve finicaial help, and it would cut down on birth defects, un wanted children, child abuse ect. The reasons do not need to be explained... you can look up the information.



- Response by maria6606, A Trendsetter, Female, 18-21, Who Cares?

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This is an example of extreme sexism. If a teen gets pregnant, everyone starts shouting how the father has to take responsibility as well. So men get to share the obligations and not the "spoils" of doing it right again :P Shame on them :P

- Response by windlord, A Guy Critical, Male, 22-25, Student

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What do I think? Well to be honest, I imagine it could work and help those that might be most at risk for becoming teen mothers but it seems that if they are being 'paid' to go to college and finish high school, what will happen when they do register in college but don't finish...the program administrators might be onto something helpful but what is going to happen to these students when they no longer have the incentive to finish college or only have the idea to register in college, get the money and then piss it all away...maybe the program administrators need to look 'further' into the future of these students and make sure that they are not going to drop out of college once they get the money or that their college educations don't go to waste...it could certainly help with teen pregnancies but what guarantee is there if these teens finish the program, go to college and get pregnant there...there are some things that could help them, but also things that they may not have addressed when finding incentives to keep the students in school...but that's JMO...:D

- Response by fastball, A Creative, Female, 36-45, Edmonton, Student

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