Bianca over at Latino Sexuality reminds us that May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.

While I was already out of high school when I became pregnant with my first child, I was still a teen, and becoming pregnant as a teen isn’t the best thing in the world (pero it also isn’t the worst either, I want to be clear on that). It changed my life in some positive ways pero also in some negative ways and I wouldn’t recommend it.

So how do we teach the young mujeres in our comunidad to take care of themselves, while allowing them the space to feel positive about their sexuality?

Like Bianca said, it goes well with the fact that May is also Masturbation Month.

According to the The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy’s report more than half of all pregnancies to Latina women are unplanned (54%).

I have a preteen daughter and I work with pre-teen young men and women and what they are seeking is information. When our young people ask about sex, birth control, abortion, it’s not cuz they are ready to get busy, it’s because they want to know, because like with everything it is better to be prepared and informed. I know in my daughter’s school sex ed classes will not even mention the word “sex”. How is this preparing my daughter to be a responsible young woman.

Many will say, well it’s not the school’s job, it’s the parents’ job. Except so many parents aren’t speaking to their children either. Just the other day I had to explain to a young woman what exactly happens when she menstruates and she’s been having her period for what, three years now? If we aren’t even talking to our daughters, sisters, sobrinas about their bodies how can we expect them to be responsible for them, take care of them, respect them?