If Michigan reduced the state's unintended pregnancies by just 10 percent, it would save more than $27 million in Medicaid expenditures. That, and other statistics, have prompted Governor Jennifer Granholm to launch the "Talk Early and Talk Often" campaign to make parents more informed and teens more aware of the risks involved with unplanned pregnancy.

The initiative starts this month, with 15 workshops being held around the state in October and November. One of those will be in Sault Ste. Marie Saturday, October 8, at the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and will be the only one offered in the Upper Peninsula. Parents and educators are invited to attend the workshop.

The 90-minute workshops are free and target the parents of middle school students, teaching them to talk to their children about abstinence and sexuality. Sessions are designed to help parents recognize opportunities for conversations, and how to listen and respond with greater confidence and skill.

Kathleen Clarady, education and intervention support coordinator for the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District, requested the program because it was offered by the state and because of several local indicators. Parental concern is chief among those indicators, she said, and “parents expressed a need for this program, and for skills-based learning opportunities.”

She explained that many parents say they have difficulty talking with their teens about certain issues, particularly sexual education and unplanned pregnancy. She added that requests for birth control and abortions are on the rise, as is the frequency of teen pregnancies, and there are reports of violence in dating relationships.

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, nine out of 104 live births in Mackinac County (8.7%) were to teenage mothers (15 to 19 years of age). In Chippewa County, 40 out of 376 live births (10.6%) were to teenage mothers. Those numbers don’t account for miscarriages and abortions.

Getting information to teens earlier and more often is an attempt to curb the number of teenage pregnancies in Michigan to reduce costs to the state, discourage motherhood before the teen is ready for it, and to ensure the health of children.

The Michigan Department of Community Health reports that teenage pregnancies and births put both the mother and the child more at risk than if the mother is older than 20. Agency statistics suggest that teen mothers are at a greater risk of depression, physical abuse, and not achieving educational or financial goals.

Community Health also reports that children born of unintended pregnancies are twice as likely to be born prematurely, and that medical costs for premature births average $58,000 a child, compared to $4,300 for a healthy birth. In the 2000 fiscal year, the state’s Medicaid program paid for prenatal, delivery, and post-natal care for approximately 26,000 unintended births which cost the state $286,000, an average Medicaid tab of about $11,000.

“It’s a huge problem, and it’s a huge cost to the state,” said T.J. Bucholz, communications director for the Department of Community Health. “We want to make sure that every pregnancy is a wanted pregnancy,”

Unintended children are also 10 to 15 times more likely to be born at a low birth weight, according to Community Health, and more likely to be abused or neglected.

“The state is not creating a curriculum for this, and we believe on this topic, the parents are the best educators,” Mr. Bucholz said. “We’re not interested in teaching morality, and the goal of this session is to get parents to talk frankly about this with their kids. Then they can use their own moral overlay when teaching this to their kids.”

Ms. Clarady said another concern is that teens “don’t always consider their risky behavior as a health risk,” and that they need to learn how to protect themselves against activities that could potentially cause harm or illness. Adolescent obesity, tobacco use, exercise, and mental and emotional wellness are several other topics she thinks adults should discuss with teens.

“I just want the residents of the Eastern Upper Peninsula to take a more preventive approach to dealing with issues like these,” she said.

Michigan’s Talk Early and Talk Often program is designed to be a preventive measure, intended to target young people before they become sexually active. Mr. Bucholz said that new studies about the brain show that although 15 to 16-year-old teens look like adults, their brains are not fully developed.

“They don’t realize yet that they are not really ready to deal with the ramifications of having a child,” he said.

Young people who do not learn the facts about sexual activity at home typically learn some through classes at school, and pick up the rest from friends or off the street, Mr. Bucholz said, increasing the risk of learning misinformation.

Most teens also do not know the costs associated with rearing a child. A two-parent family with an income of less than $38,000 is expected to spend $130,290 (about $7,238 a year) rearing a child to the age of 18. Two parents making $38,000 to $64,000 a year will spend $165,630 rearing a child to the age of 18. A single-parent family with an income of less than $38,000 a year will spend $123,750 ($6,875 a year) rearing a child to the age of 18. A single parent making $38,000 or more a year will spend $142,910 (about $7,939 a year) rearing a child to the age of 18.

"The Governor recognizes that parents are the primary abstinence and sexuality educators of their children," said Talk Early and Talk Often Coordinator Barbara Flis. "Continued communication at home is vital in helping our young people avoid sexual relationships they are not yet prepared for, that may have serious consequences, including pregnancy, HIV, and sexually transmitted diseases."

The local Talk Early and Talk Often program will be held in the EUPISD conference room at 315 Armory Place, off Portage Avenue. Anyone planning to attend the program should call Kathleen Clarady and make a reservation at (906) 632-3373, extension 143.