AFP
In Texas, a high school welcomes teenage girls with their babies
Before going to high school, Yarezi Alvarado, 17, prepares not only her school bag, but also the bottles for Kamila, her one-year-old daughter. “I have to think about her diapers, her wipes, her milk, and prepare it,” the young woman explained to AFP. “And clean clothes in case she needs to be changed.” They then take the school bus together, equipped with baby seats, to Lincoln Park High School in Brownsville, Texas, close to the Mexican border. Located in a Hispanic neighborhood , the establishment welcomes girls aged 14 to 22, pregnant or already mothers. While they are at school, their babies stay in a daycare within the school. Those who are breastfeeding can, however, go find them. “Having my daughter in the school is a good thing because I know she is here and that she is well taken care of,” says Yarezi Alvarado. “And I can go see her, so I feel better.” Texas is one of the conservative states that declared abortion illegal after a historic decision by the US Supreme Court in the summer of 2022, overturning federal protection of this right. In Texas, minors’ access to the pill contraception is also generally subject to adult authorization, and sex education is not compulsory in schools. – 16 babies – Yarezi Alvarado is helped by her mother, but some of her classmates do not have the support of their parents. They live with the child’s father or a member of their family. According to health authorities, the number of births among adolescents (15 to 19 years old) in the United States fell by 3% in 2022 compared to the previous year, and by 78% since 1991. But the organization Healthy Futures of Texas, estimated in 2021 that the rate of teen births was 2.4 times higher among young Hispanic women than among young white women. Access to health care, or low education and income, can contribute to high teenage birth rates. “It’s a reality, and we have to know how to deal with it,” says Cynthia Cardenas, the high school principal. “We remind them that being pregnant is not a handicap, it lasts nine months. They must move forward because they have the possibility of success,” she adds. This year, the establishment reached its maximum capacity: 16 babies. Several others remain on the waiting list. – “A future” -Created in the 1990s, the establishment is one of the few of its kind in the United States. “If this school did not exist, my 53 students would probably have stopped their studies,” estimates the director . According to data from the organization Child Trends, only 53% of young girls who become mothers as teenagers complete their studies, compared to 90% for others. The establishment, financed by the State, has a specialized nurse. And students who must stay at home after giving birth receive visits from their teachers. Teachers understand that it can be difficult for them to attend class regularly because of, for example, medical exams or difficult nights. .GeorgeAna Wilson is a science teacher. If one of her students has gone all night without sleep because of a sick baby, she recommends a “ten-minute power nap.” “It’s not something I would do in a normal school, but here it can make all the difference,” she explains. Students also do not take homework home. “In regular schools, they wouldn’t understand our situation,” says Milla Luevano, 17, mother of two-year-old Roman. “Here, they don’t judge us, they help us, they communicate with us. They understand our situation as mothers.” She, who dreams of becoming a teacher, advises other teenage mothers to continue their studies: “Don’t give up, because “It’s something you’ll regret later. Because you want a future,” she says. “For you and for your baby.”mav/la/aem/jnd
2023-11-13 21:40:24
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