As they revise Department of Social Services rules regarding pregnant minors, officials need to make sure that any changes have the desired effect of helping to prosecute sexual predators — without compromising the health of pregnant minors and their unborn children.
Under changes proposed by the DSS board this week, pregnant minors would be required to identify the father of the child when they seek help from DSS. The current policy also requires that they provide that information — but not until the child is born. That’s a critical difference. Regardless of the circumstances of their pregnancy, underage mothers often are frightened, confused and reluctant to disclose their condition. Many come from low-income homes where they lack parental support or readily available sources of counseling about nutrition and infant care. In those dire situations, DSS services may be the lifeline that provides some essential stability and support for the minor, while also promoting the health of the unborn child. Any changes that make a pregnant minor less likely to come forward may compromise the well-being of two lives, without increasing the chances of a sexual predator being prosecuted.
The sexual abuse of children remains a serious problem, in Rowan County and every other community in North Carolina, and officials must continue to explore ways to reduce its incidence and prosecute adults who prey on vulnerable youngsters. That’s the board’s intent in seeking this change, and it should be vigorous in its efforts to improve reporting procedures that promote more coordination between social service workers and law-enforcement agencies and increase the chances that cases of sexual abuse and exploitation will be investigated prosecuted. But infant mortality, which stems directly from poor nutrition and health practices during pregnancy, is also a serious problem, especially among those who are most likely to seek social-service aid.
The dual roles of the DSS — to protect children from abuse and neglect while also helping to ensure healthy pregnancies for young mothers— are not in conflict, but they do mean that policymaking in this area can be especially sensitive. Rule changes should be taken with an eye toward unintended consequences, as well as the enhanced protections those changes might bring. In the matter of pregnant youngsters, prosecution of sexual abuse has a high priority, especially when it also might serve as a deterrent to adults who commit heinous acts against children.
But as officials consider ways to reduce that abuse, they must continue to ensure that pregnant minors feel safe in seeking the help they need. Officials should be wary of any change that tilts the process more toward prosecution and might discourage traumatized youngsters from coming forward. The health and well-being of the mother and child must continue to come first.
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