Street Knowledge..Teen Pregnancy

transcrpied by JR Valrey

This show first aired on August 19 1995. Below is a summary of what was said.

Stacked Facts about teen pregnancy

Who represented?

Nancy Meyers - Voiced her support for teen moms. Teen moms are America's next scapegoat. She also advocated that she does not think it is right for Congress to try to pass a bill making pregnant teens live with their parents because some are more capable of dealing with their own problems than living within their family situation. She also does not think it is cost effective for ten moms to work; their welfare checks are not enough to cover everything but if they get a job their check will be cut.

Sameerah Karim - she took a stance against welfare/teen mom stereotypes. Her advice to teen mothers were to keep their head up. Set aside time for oneself. She also said that these moms need to check themselves as far as taking care of themselves because ³everything you do affects your baby. And they need to stay assertive. She said I don't say I want to be, I say I am going to be. She said that when males fall under the scrutiny of being liked by much younger females, they need to convert that attraction into something positive instead of just sleeping with these young women.

Sharron Usher - She stressed abstinence. She said people must remember that sex is intended for reproduction not for stimulation. She also thought that teen mothers should strive to be independent so that they can be a good role model for their baby. She also believes that responsible males will be blessed by God.

Sandra Stewart - She presented strong opposition against the Personal Responsibility Bill. She thought it would be smarter for the republicans to give teen moms an education with free daycare since education is the way out of poverty, instead of abolishing subsidized housing. She also believed that by healthcare being reformed welfare will be reformed because she said many people get on welfare for primarily for medicaid health insurance.

Rob Swartzwalter - He defended the Personal Responsibility Bill. He said how can the public expect teen moms to make make responsible decisions living by themselves when they made the mistake of getting pregnant. He said that he does not think it is right for the taxpayer to support these women simply because they chose to get pregnant. He believes that the bill is not taking anything major away; it is helping teen mothers by making them independent or dependant upon their families.