Pastor Geronimo Aguilar: Churches Can Help in Addressing Teen Pregnancy

Online, June 11, 2012 (Newswire.com) - A recent story from News Day highlights the improvements that are being made in lowering teenage pregnancy rates. Although births from women aged 15 to 19 decreased as much as nine percent between 2010 and 2009, there is still a concern for girls in lower-income neighborhoods. The national average for teen births is now at 34 births per 1,000 women; a drastic decline from the peak of 62 births per 1,000 women in 1991. While there is success, Pastor Geronimo Aguilar, believes that it is not yet time for celebration and the troubled young women who face this problem are still at risk.

The article states that much of this decrease is a result of increased use of contraception, since the national rate of abortions has also decreased. Without pregnancies even happening, young woman are able to stay in school and go on to lead more successful lives than if they were to have had a child at a young age. While this all is a great sign for the American public, the CDC claims that ethnic and lower-income teenagers still face a high risk of becoming pregnant. In certain areas, federally funded programs have been cut, keeping young women away from the services they need that help prevent pregnancy.

While the article's author believes that much of this comes from poorer education, Pastor Geronimo believes that these numbers are greatly affected by a weakened sense of morals. As the head of the Richmond Outreach Center, Pastor Geronimo and his congregation have helped several troubled teens, including pregnant ones, restore faith and hope through a collection of
helpful ministries in Richmond, Virginia. The pastor looks at the Bible as an example, "The Bible talks about older women teaching the younger women for a reason; young girls relate with older girls and if the media and pop culture's standards are all they have to go by, what can we expect?"

Although Pastor Geronimo doesn't expect the revealing images of pop princesses to disappear anytime soon, he encourages all young women and their parents to look elsewhere for proper guidance. "The reason teen pregnancy rates have remained steady is simple--there is nobody out there teaching young ladies about modesty and respecting themselves."

With the work of his congregation, increased mentorship and the increased national focus on protecting young women's health Pastor Geronimo believes that the teen birth rate will decline. Agreeing with the CDC's initiatives, he hopes that fewer children will be born in lower-income areas where resources are limited for children's health and education.

ABOUT:

Pastor Geronimo Aguilar is the head of the Richmond Outreach Center located in Richmond, Virginia. Through his congregations many ministries, Aguilar has helped troubled citizens reinvent themselves under the Christian faith. His work has been attributed to decreasing crime rates and boosting education in the Richmond area.