New Initiative Aimed At Latinos Wants You To Keep Your Morcilla Wrapped, Thanks

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has launched a Latino Initiative, which seeks to inform teens about proper contraception use while trying not to sound “anti-family.” Studies show teen Latinas are shooting out babies at a more slowly declining rate than their non-Hispanic black and white counterparts. While the pregnancy rate among non-Hispanic black and white teens has dropped about 29%, the decrease is only 19% among Latinas. 51% of Latina teens become pregnant at least once before reaching 20. Fifty. One. Percent. There seem to be two reasons for this. First, teens are stupid:

Along with many of her Latina friends at her middle school in Southeast Washington, D.C., three years ago Beverly Zeleya treated sex lightly. No one told her about contraception, so she didn’t use it. As a result, she wound up pregnant and had a baby boy at the age of 13.

Beverly, Beverly, Beverly. We don’t buy it, hon. Turn on MTV for five seconds and, sandwiched in between “Parental Control” and “True Life: I’m a Staten Island Girl” are ads for condoms and birth control pills aplenty. Second reason Latina teens are babying it up? Latinos have to deal with cultural stigmas about sex:

Though double standards exist everywhere, they are particularly notable in Hispanic culture. While on the one hand teenage daughters receive messages about chastity and demureness, teenage sons hear about virility and conquest. There’s also the enduring Latino tradition of machismo. A recent NCLR study that involved 16 focus groups around the country found that “the idea of discussing sexuality with one’s partner is perceived as a threat by the man, and, as such, the topic is rarely touched.”

Machismo in Latin culture? That’s a myth, sillygoose. Like our husband always tells us, “Try not to dwell on it. You’re much prettier when you’re not thinking.”

Learning to ‘Think Twice’ [Newsweek]