Brenda Rhodes Miller has been fighting teen pregnancy for more than 25 years. In that time, she has raised three children, written two cookbooks and a novel, and served as a consultant to several nonprofit organizations. She is now the executive director of D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, a nonprofit organization that connects teens with strong role models to fight teen pregnancy.
How did youget involved in teen pregnancy?
I’ve always been interested in health issues. Good health is a key to being successful in life, and I found that teen pregnancy was a dividing line that kept some young women from achieving their life goals. When you’re not pregnant at a young age you have a much better chance.
How has the fight against teen pregnancy changed over the years?
It used to be all about individual choice. But now people see it in terms of a larger youth development issue about lack of overall opportunity. Young women trapped in thinking they have no opportunities are more likely to make poor decisions. I like the idea of being able to do something about a problem that people have been wringing their hands over for decades.
So what do you do about it?
The single most important factor in preventing teen pregnancy is a teen’s close relationship with an adult. Ideally it’s the parents, but not every young person has that option, so they need an adult standing in that gap. … People of good will can do great things when they work together and there’s room for all sorts of work; mentoring and educating are key. All things you take for granted when you grow up in a middle-class family.
How do you get that done?
We often work with different faith-based communities and set up programs based on their interests. With one group we’ve set up a health clinic and another an abstinence-based program.
