Shift - Dealing With Teenage Pregnancy & School

 SABC1 Tuesday 7 August 2012 @ 13h30
One in three South African girls fall pregnant before their 20th birthday. In a country with a generalised HIV epidemic as big as ours these statistics are alarming. According to the South African Medical Research Council's latest national survey, 16% of pregnant teenagers are HIV positive.
The problem is not uniform throughout the country. There are ‘hotspots’ where the problem is more prevalent. In some areas nurses are reluctant to give contraception to teenagers.  This doesn’t address the risk of HIV infection and contributes to the large number of teen unwanted pregnancies.

On 7 August Shift will talk to pupils whose schooling is interrupted due to an unplanned pregnancy. Although every baby is a blessing to mothers and families, some pockets of society still regard expecting teen moms as failures.

Young courageous Tintswalo Masiye, founder of ‘Embracing Blessings’ joins the show.  Embracing Blessings is a campaign founded to support and encourage pregnant teens and teen mothers to not give up on their dreams despite the obstacles they face being pregnant during their teen years.

Embracing Blessings doesn’t promote teenage pregnancy; it brings awareness to the negativity associated around it that impacts on pregnant teen moms which often result in mothers killing their new born babies, dropping out of school, resenting and neglecting their babies, turning to alcohol and substance abuse and even falling pregnant again due to negativity and lack of support.  The campaign shares positivity and hope for pregnant teens and moms.

Our Questions To You Are:

• How many young women get pregnant each year in your school? 
• Are you a teen parent? How did you end up having an unexpected pregnancy?
• Which teen parent has to go through the toughest time? The teen mother, father or both?
• What factors contribute to teen pregnancy rates?
• What options are available to young women who face an unintended pregnancy? 
• Are teen pregnancy - prevention programs effective?

Our Poll Question To You Is:

• Is the teen birth rate going up or down? Answer Yes or No to SHIFT on FACEBOOK and tell us why you think so.  You can also write to us at shift@sabc.co.za

Shift, SABC Education’s live talk show is broadcast on Mondays and Tuesdays at 13h30 on SABC1.  Shift is carefully formulated to get viewers thinking and talking about shifting their mindsets and changing their attitudes. 

Shift is informative, inspiring, thought provoking and entertaining.  Shift finds out what viewers think of daily topical issues and then encourage them to speak out, voice their opinions and do things for themselves.  The show is fast moving, jazzy and up beat.