16 and Pregnant: What's being done to cut teen pregnancy rates in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – Being a teenager is tough, but being a pregnant teenager takes it to a whole other level. The statistics are staggering and Kentucky ranks top ten in the country. In Metro Louisville it is estimated that more than 3,000 teen girls get pregnant each year.

"There's always this thought in the back of your head, like what if, what if this never happened," said Savannah Ferrell, teen mom.

For 16-year-old Savannah, the life she's living is not the one she dreamed of.

"I don't know what it is like to be a regular 16-year-old," said Savannah. "I know what it is like to be a regular 14-year-old. I know what it is like to be a regular 13-year-old. I don't know what it is like to be a regular 15-year-old."

That's because when she was a freshman in high school, Savannah got pregnant by her then boyfriend.

"We weren't meant for each other," said Savannah.

Nine short months, later Kezia was born. Pregnancy is the number one reason girls drop-out of high school. It also is quickly becoming a growing trend due to the popularity of shows like "Teen Mom" and "16 and Pregnant" on MTV.

"Media has taken a hold of teenage pregnancy and gone with it in the wrong direction because they are glamorizing it and making it seem like it is fun to have a baby or it is cool to have a baby because you'll get attention, but it's not like at all," Savannah said.

Ferrell says she knew she didn't want to be a statistic.

"I didn't care about my education until I got pregnant," said Savannah. "I didn't feel the need to make good grades, but now I have to make good grades for her."

Her sophomore year of high school, Savannah enrolled at Westport TAPP, a school in Louisville that's for pregnant and parenting young mothers grades 6 through 12.

"Our focus here is high school graduation and going to college," said Sara York, principal at Westport TAPP. "That is our focus, yes you are a young mother, but that is not an excuse for you to fail. It is the reason you must succeed."

York has been with the school for nearly 30 years. While she says enrollment has stayed steady over time, there's one thing she's seeing less of.

"Our heaviest enrollment is in junior, seniors, so it seems like the age of the girls getting pregnant does not seem to be as young, which is a very good thing," said York.

While that's encouraging, York says there is still work to be done. She believes the key is prevention and says that education needs to start at home. It's something that Savannah says was never really discussed in her family. From the numbers, Savannah's family is not alone.

"We're the 8th worst state in terms of teen pregnancy," said Anita Barbee, professor at the Kent School of Social Work at University of Louisville. "About 57 youth out of 1,000 get pregnant every year."

Barbee says that's way above the national average. She says new research could be the key in stopping this epidemic. Back in September, Louisville received a $4.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to do just that.

"So what we hope is that we can show which of these curriculum work with the youth that we're serving than perhaps the schools will pick up and begin to offer more of this programming," said Barbee.

Barbee says the money will fund programs for multiple organizations, a good portion focusing on teen pregnancy prevention.

"Sometimes parents who are struggling just to make it to live, don't have necessarily the time or the skills to talk to their own children about these issues," said Barbee.

Once baby Kezia is old enough, Savannah says she plans to do whatever it takes to make sure her daughter isn't left in the dark about sex.

"I want to make sure that she knows that teenage pregnancy is not an option for her," said Savannah. "She's not going to have a baby when she is that young."

The federal grant is in place for five years. The Kent School of Social Work will track the teens involved for two years, with the goal to drastically cut teen pregnancy rates in metro Louisville.

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