Hendersonville Star News
January 29, 2010
When Joi Wasill first heard that MTV was airing a reality television show titled “16 and Pregnant,” the local adoption advocate who has presented her education program in every Sumner County high school - and over 40 throughout middle Tennessee - immediately picked up the phone.
“I called MTV myself,” said Wasill who then went on to suggest to one of the show’s producers that the option of adoption be highlighted in an episode. When Wasill was told that one was in the works, she was still uneasy.
It was, after all, MTV, she thought. However, when Wasill did watch the sixth episode of the popular TV show that aired in July of 2009, she was pleasantly surprised.She thought the portrayal of adoption was so accurate that she asked MTV if she could use that episode for her Decisions, Choices and Options educational program.
Wasill presents her teen pregnancy program to Sumner County wellness classes each year through the school system’s Safe and Drug Free School’s program and discusses with teens the options of adoption, parenting and abortion.
“She’s been coming to our schools for several years now,” said Sumner County Schools Prevention Coordinator Susan McDaniel. High School freshmen are required to take the class that touches on prevention issues like abstinence, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol use and date rape.
“Unfortunately we do have crisis pregnancies in our high schools,” said McDaniel. “This just makes young people aware of the options if they or their friends do find themselves in a crisis pregnancy.”
Wasill - whose program is funded through private donations - will speak to several classes at Hendersonville High School today with two guests, the teen couple who placed their baby girl up for adoption while MTV’s cameras rolled, Catelynn and Tyler.
They feel like [we adults] are preaching - but when they hear their peers, they pay closer attention to it. I think they’re going to make an impact because these kids can relate to Catelynn and Tyler.”
“To them it’s going to be something pretty special,” said McDaniel. “The students know about these shows and they’re watching them. Kids are talking about it.”
McDaniel, who has been a prevention coordinator for over 10 years, said many teens seem to be aware of the options of abortion and parenting, but that adoption still seems to be unchartered territory.“For so many of them it’s new information,” she said.
According to Wasill, of the 765,000 teenagers who become pregnant in the United States each year, roughly 50 to 55 percent will choose to parent the child, 30 to 35 percent will choose to have an abortion, and less than one percent will choose to make an adoption plan for the child.
Wasill, who is an adoptive parent herself, said she uses Catelynn and Tyler’s story because it does give a realistic portrayal of adoption. "I think kids are getting the truth about how difficult all of this is,” Wasill said.
A benefit concert for Decisions, Choices and Options will be held from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. tonight in the Underground of Hendersonville’s First Baptist Church. Catelynn and Tyler of MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” will be the guest speakers.
McDaniel said she expects whatever Catelynn and Tyler have to say will have more of an impact on local teens than any adult speaker could have
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