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| Bloomberg's anti-teen pregnancy push has right idea, but horrible execution | Bloomberg's anti-teen pregnancy push has right idea, but horrible execution |
| (6 months later) | |
| For most New Yorkers riding the subway, it takes a lot to get our attention. During a rush hour commute, you consider yourself fortunate to squeeze into a subway car with all limbs and digits intact, let alone to crane your neck to read the ads. Thus, it's really quite remarkable that amidst the sea of ads for pawn shops and plastic surgeons, one managed to catch my eye: a curly-haired baby with tears streaming down his adorable face, because his parents had him as teenagers, making him "twice as likely not to graduate from high school". | For most New Yorkers riding the subway, it takes a lot to get our attention. During a rush hour commute, you consider yourself fortunate to squeeze into a subway car with all limbs and digits intact, let alone to crane your neck to read the ads. Thus, it's really quite remarkable that amidst the sea of ads for pawn shops and plastic surgeons, one managed to catch my eye: a curly-haired baby with tears streaming down his adorable face, because his parents had him as teenagers, making him "twice as likely not to graduate from high school". |
| By now, even many outside New York are familiar with these ads by the city's Human Resource Administration (HRA), mainly because there's been such a strong eruption of criticism against them. Bloggers and public officials alike denounced the campaign to prevent teen pregnancy for resorting to shame and stigmatization, and initially, I hopped on the bandwagon. | By now, even many outside New York are familiar with these ads by the city's Human Resource Administration (HRA), mainly because there's been such a strong eruption of criticism against them. Bloggers and public officials alike denounced the campaign to prevent teen pregnancy for resorting to shame and stigmatization, and initially, I hopped on the bandwagon. |
| For one, it upset me that the campaign's prototype male and female teenage parents are "Louis" and "Anaya", names that suggest they were carefully chosen to denote people of color. Also, the ads that target males play to the cost of child support, while the ones to females stress how unlikely it is for a baby-daddy to stick around. Can you say sexist much? | For one, it upset me that the campaign's prototype male and female teenage parents are "Louis" and "Anaya", names that suggest they were carefully chosen to denote people of color. Also, the ads that target males play to the cost of child support, while the ones to females stress how unlikely it is for a baby-daddy to stick around. Can you say sexist much? |
| I don't see the ads as an effort to shame teen parents as much as an effort to scare the crap out of them before they become parents. And I'm not morally opposed to frightening, or for that matter, shaming people into changing their behavior. It's just if the city were going to spend $400,000 to prevent teen pregnancy, a scare-based campaign seems less cost-effective than, say, establishing greater access to condoms and birth control pills, and de-stigmatizing the use of contraception. | I don't see the ads as an effort to shame teen parents as much as an effort to scare the crap out of them before they become parents. And I'm not morally opposed to frightening, or for that matter, shaming people into changing their behavior. It's just if the city were going to spend $400,000 to prevent teen pregnancy, a scare-based campaign seems less cost-effective than, say, establishing greater access to condoms and birth control pills, and de-stigmatizing the use of contraception. |
| However, as much as I was – and still am – perturbed by the campaign, what worries me more is the backlash. Critics have denounced the HRA's campaign so strongly that they appear more willing to embrace teen pregnancy than risk making teen parents feel bad. The argument about the campaign's style has volcanically erupted into an attack against the content, which no one denies is based on accurate statistics. RHRealityCheck.org criticized the ads for suggesting "avoiding teen pregnancy is a panacea to all of [teens'] problems." Even Planned Parenthood chastised the ads, saying, "Teenage parenthood is simply not the disastrous and life-compromising event these ads portray." | However, as much as I was – and still am – perturbed by the campaign, what worries me more is the backlash. Critics have denounced the HRA's campaign so strongly that they appear more willing to embrace teen pregnancy than risk making teen parents feel bad. The argument about the campaign's style has volcanically erupted into an attack against the content, which no one denies is based on accurate statistics. RHRealityCheck.org criticized the ads for suggesting "avoiding teen pregnancy is a panacea to all of [teens'] problems." Even Planned Parenthood chastised the ads, saying, "Teenage parenthood is simply not the disastrous and life-compromising event these ads portray." |
| When did it become wrong to say that teen parenthood can have a detrimental effect on your life, or to point out how you can prevent teen pregnancy? As long as we are operating from the premise that teen pregnancy is something that should be prevented – or at least isn't ideal – I don't see anything wrong with ads that say teen motherhood is statistically more likely to make your life a lot harder, financially and emotionally. | When did it become wrong to say that teen parenthood can have a detrimental effect on your life, or to point out how you can prevent teen pregnancy? As long as we are operating from the premise that teen pregnancy is something that should be prevented – or at least isn't ideal – I don't see anything wrong with ads that say teen motherhood is statistically more likely to make your life a lot harder, financially and emotionally. |
| Amongst all the complaints against the NYC teen pregnancy prevention campaign, no one is calling the content mendacious. I have no problem with teenage girls being told that studies show that 90% of teen parent couples don't marry, because when it comes to something as serious and lifelong as parenthood at the fragile age of adolescence, there's no need to support fairy tales or romantic fantasies. If anything, it seems like a time when the truth needs to be crystal clear. | Amongst all the complaints against the NYC teen pregnancy prevention campaign, no one is calling the content mendacious. I have no problem with teenage girls being told that studies show that 90% of teen parent couples don't marry, because when it comes to something as serious and lifelong as parenthood at the fragile age of adolescence, there's no need to support fairy tales or romantic fantasies. If anything, it seems like a time when the truth needs to be crystal clear. |
| What gets lost in the backlash is that teen pregnancy is not a foregone conclusion, but a result of choices. Many critics have said the city should have put $400,000 into supporting teen parents, but the goal of this campaign was to prevent teen pregnancy from occurring in the first place. Thus, I don't see anything wrong with providing as much (or as frightening) information to teenagers contemplating motherhood (or fatherhood) to discourage harmful sexual choices. As for whether this campaign relies too much on shame, unfortunately, teen mothers will likely face more shaming from the peers and even family than a public service ad on the subway or bus. I don't fall into the camp that believes Juno, Teen Mom and Jamie Lynn Spears make being a teen mom look cool or glamorous. I have enough faith in teenagers that they don't choose to become parents because they think they'll get on an MTV reality show. I believe they're already well aware of the long-entrenched stigma against teen parents, especially mothers. | What gets lost in the backlash is that teen pregnancy is not a foregone conclusion, but a result of choices. Many critics have said the city should have put $400,000 into supporting teen parents, but the goal of this campaign was to prevent teen pregnancy from occurring in the first place. Thus, I don't see anything wrong with providing as much (or as frightening) information to teenagers contemplating motherhood (or fatherhood) to discourage harmful sexual choices. As for whether this campaign relies too much on shame, unfortunately, teen mothers will likely face more shaming from the peers and even family than a public service ad on the subway or bus. I don't fall into the camp that believes Juno, Teen Mom and Jamie Lynn Spears make being a teen mom look cool or glamorous. I have enough faith in teenagers that they don't choose to become parents because they think they'll get on an MTV reality show. I believe they're already well aware of the long-entrenched stigma against teen parents, especially mothers. |
| However, I do think they believe parenthood will be easier than it is, mainly because every parent I've ever spoken to (whether he or she had a child at 17 or 37) said parenthood is the hardest thing to tackle in life. If teenagers are contemplating parenthood, they need to understand the odds they are up against, even if the facts are scary. | However, I do think they believe parenthood will be easier than it is, mainly because every parent I've ever spoken to (whether he or she had a child at 17 or 37) said parenthood is the hardest thing to tackle in life. If teenagers are contemplating parenthood, they need to understand the odds they are up against, even if the facts are scary. |
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