Health

New York's teen pregnancy PSAs

By Michelle Castillo

March 4, 2013 / 3:14 PM EST / CBS News

New York City has unveiled a new campaign to address teen pregnancy by creating ads with hard-hitting statistics about young mothers and their children for subways, buses and social media. While the teen pregnancy rate in New York fell 27 percent in the last 10 year according to NYC's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, more than 20,000 teens in New York get pregnant each year. Eighty-seven percent of those are unplanned and with unwed partners. "Teens giving birth before they are ready to provide emotional and financial support is not a good way to raise children," NYC Human Resources Administration Commissioner Robert Doar said in a statement. "We cannot dictate how people live their lives, and sometimes even the best plans don't work out, but we must encourage responsibility and send the right message, especially to young people." Keep clicking to see the controversial ads...

New York City's pregnancy rate for girls was 72.6 pregnancies per 1,000 girls in 2010, according to the New York City Office of the Mayor.

Teen fathers are less likely to be involved with their children, the New York City Office of the Mayor reported.

Children born to young, unmarried parents are more likely to be poor, have emotional and behavioral problems and are less likely to do well in school, the New York City Office of the Mayor said.

"This campaign makes very clear to young people that there's a lot at stake when it comes to deciding to raise a child," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a press release. "We've already seen important progress in our effort to help more teens delay pregnancy -- teen pregnancy has steadily declined in New York City -- but there is more work still to be done."

"We aim to build on our success by asking teens to take an honest look at some of the realities of parenthood they may not have considered," said Bloomberg. "By focusing on responsibility and the importance of education, employment, and family in providing children with the emotional and financial support they need, we'll let thousands of young New Yorkers know that waiting to becoming a parent could be the best decision they ever make."

Michelle Castillo

Michelle Castillo is an associate editor for CBSNews.com.

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