Teen Pregnancy is considered an epidemic is this nation and more teenagers get pregnant in Milwaukee than just about anywhere else in the United States. Milwaukee is one of the top ten cities in the United States with the highest percentage of births to teen mothers, 6th in the nation to be exact.

The long term cost of a Milwaukee teen having a baby is over $79,000 dollars. The ramifications of teen pregnancy are never ending. Girls born to teen mothers are 83% more likely to become teen mothers themselves and children of teen mothers are more likely to drop out of high school prior to graduation themselves. But part of the problem is that teen pregnancy is becoming so accepted that few people seemed concerned with it anymore. It’s no longer shocking to people when a teen announces her pregnancy because people are becoming so conditioned to it.

In an effort to combat this, the United Way and the Milwaukee Health Department are teaming up for a new,, unique ad campaign. They are plastering billboards and slamming the airwaves with ads geared towards teen pregnancy prevention. They hope the campaign will raise eyebrows and get people thinking about teen pregnancy. The ad campaign has been described as “bold and provocative” and I’d say they will definitely turn a head, catch an eye, and cause a little talk around the water cooler.

One of the billboards plastered around Milwaukee features a pregnant teenage boy with the caption, “It shouldn’t be any less disturbing when it’s a girl.” Yes, thought provoking indeed!
They are also hoping to get men thinking about the consequences of sex as well since many times a pregnancy ends up being the expectant mother’s problem to deal with and the fathers are long gone.

No, these billboards and the ad campaign will not stop teen pregnancy, but it’s certainly got people thinking, talking, and more aware.

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Related posts:
Real Alternatives Program
National Teen Pregnancy Awareness Month