State Unveils Ads Aimed at Teenage Pregnancies

In an effort to reduce California’s 70,000 births to teenage mothers every year, the state Health and Welfare Agency on Wednesday unveiled a $3-million advertising campaign to deter young men from having sex with adolescent girls.

Separate Spanish- and English-language ads will target men aged 18 to 24, warning that statutory rape is a serious crime. The ads also encourage young men to take responsibility for the children they have already fathered.

About two-thirds of babies born to teenage mothers are fathered by men aged 20 and older, according to the agency.

“The ads . . . encourage responsible fatherhood, as well as support California’s strict enforcement of statutory rape laws,” said agency Secretary Sandra R. Smoley at a news conference at a Boyle Heights youth center.

The “Truth About Sex” campaign, which will run through the fall, is the second phase of a $28-million advertising program initiated by Gov. Pete Wilson in April.

The governor announced last year that deterring teenage pregnancies would be one of the major goals of his second term.

Families begun by teenage mothers receive about $5 billion to $7 billion in state and federal money in public assistance, according to statistics provided by the governor’s Partnership for Responsible Parenting.

The hard-hitting ads warn men that they could face jail sentences as rapists if they have sex with girls under 18.

In one radio commercial, cell doors clang shut as a man says, “Real men have sex with real women--not young girls in high school.

“If you’re an adult and have sex with a minor, someone under 18, you’ll do major time.”

Other ads warn men of the sacrifices that young parenthood brings. On one billboard, a young father lovingly holds an infant close to his face next to bold type proclaiming, “Fatherhood is forever.”

The campaign calls on those who are already fathers to provide financial and emotional support for their children.

A newspaper ad reads, “It’s better to be a father than ‘just my baby’s daddy.’ ”

“[In the past] we haven’t addressed [men] to give them the skills to prevent too early and ill-planned pregnancies,” said Julie Linderman, a health education consultant for the state health agency who is working in Sacramento on the campaign.

“It’s time for young men to become involved and responsible, and it’s necessary to be responsible for a lifetime.”

Bobby Verdugo, a counselor for teenage parents and mentor for an East Los Angeles outreach program, agreed that it is time that the state targeted males in its campaigns. But, he warned, changing young men’s behavior is extremely difficult.

“We’ve been trying so many things, and the numbers [of teenage pregnancies] don’t seem to be dropping off,” he said after the news conference.

“Media ads are not going to do it,” he said. “I’ve seen some clear positive messages . . . but kids don’t usually react to these kinds of messages.”

Instead, he said, they listen to warnings from other young parents.

Like Angel Ramirez, 16, of Boyle Heights, who has a 3-year-old daughter. Ramirez helps Verdugo educate young fathers about coping with the demands of parenthood and agreed that teenagers often wait until too late to heed advice.

But, he said, perhaps the ads will at least make young adults think twice before having sex.

“It’ll send a message, telling kids they’ll have more responsibility [as parents]. There’s no more parties. There’s no more fun and games when you have a kid.”