It's one thing to be a scared pregnant teenager.

But it's quite another when two 14-year-old Houston-area girls, through fear or lack of information, see their pregnancies end tragically in public restrooms.

In the first incident on Sunday, a Houston girl miscarried while aboard a Continental flight traveling home from a school field trip. Then, on Wednesday in Baytown, a girl delivered a full-term newborn in a school bathroom and then police believe she tried to flush the child down the toilet.

These two incidents raise questions about how schools, social service agencies and parents can work better to identify and help these teens before they turn to desperate options.

Fear and caring
Teens who hide their pregnancy are afraid to talk to their parents because they're unsure about their reaction.

"It's born out of fear. The teen hopes that some options come about but of course they do not," said Dr. Paula Moore, a psychologist for Harris County Child Protective Services. "They're hoping an adult will come up and notice. ... They want to be rescued."

Kim Poré, a social worker and director of children's services for Harris County, said all adults, not just parents, need to pay closer attention to teens.

"Don't be afraid to confront them," Poré said. "If there had been one caring adult who had talked to these girls, this could have been prevented."

While the state covers human sexuality in its health curriculum, each of Texas' nearly 1,040 school systems is allowed to decide how — and whether — to tackle the issue, said Phyllis Simpson, director of health and physical education for the Texas Education Agency.

Texas law says schools that teach sex education must stress abstinence as the preferred option.

It's entirely feasible, officials said, that a Texas student could graduate from high school without being taught about birth control options.

Teaching abstinence
Officials for the Houston school district said Wednesday they offer a "abstinence-plus program."

Elementary students are taught how to deal with peer pressure, and nurses provide gender specific instruction focused on a body's growth and development, according to the district's curriculum description.

Middle schoolers are introduced to abstinence and contraceptives but are not given "how to" instruction, officials said.

"Throughout high school, the message that abstinence is the best choice to prevent HIV infection, sexually transmitted diseases, and teen pregnancy is stressed," according to the district's curriculum description. "The message, reinforced across the grade levels, is that abstinence is the best decision."

While teen pregnancy rates are declining nationally and in Texas, the Lone Star State has not seen the dramatic cuts in teen pregnancies that other states like California, have experienced, experts say.

"It's been that way for years. We're seeing no improvement," said Rochelle Tafolla, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas. "At the same time, we're seeing a push for abstinence-until-marriage programs — that's if you have a sex education program."

Maturing faster
Teen pregnancy data released last year by the non-profit group Child Trends found Texas ranked first among teenage birth rates, with 62 births per 1,000 girls 15-19 years old, and fifth in the nation when it comes to the number of teens in that same age group who become pregnant.

"The family is not what it was 40 years ago," said Al Summers, director of events for the National Middle School Association. "If they didn't already understand, I think they're beginning to understand that it does need to be addressed in an age-appropriate manner at the time which things could begin to happen."

Today's adolescents are maturing faster, forcing schools to deal with sensitive issues earlier. While the association supports sex education, it doesn't endorse a particular curriculum, such as an abstinence-only program, Summers said.