Bad choice? Health department criticized for controversial billboard

This billboard, located just east of Sandusky, was purchased by the Sanilac County Health Department. After drawing controversy over the weekend, the health department made the decision to remove the billboard on Monday. less This billboard, located just east of Sandusky, was purchased by the Sanilac County Health Department. After drawing controversy over the weekend, the health department made the decision to remove the billboard ... more Photo: Facebook Photo Photo: Facebook Photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Bad choice? 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

SANILAC COUNTY — A billboard that sparked controversy around the Thumb — and entire state of Michigan — this past weekend will be taken down, according to health officials.

On Friday, a billboard sponsored by the Sanilac County Health Department, started being shared on social media due by users who felt it was too controversial.

The billboard showed a teenage pregnant mother on one side, and a teen with her high school diploma on the other side.

In between the two, the billboard stated "You can choose, this, or this. Take control of your future."

The Right to Life of Michigan Facebook page posted a photo of the billboard, claiming the message "seems to be that young women should be ashamed to be pregnant and have to choose between motherhood and their education. This is the abortion mindset that pits mother against child."

Health officials didn't expect viewers would interpret the billboard as being pro-abortion.

"It came as a bit of a surprise to us that people thought that it was anything but a teenage pregnancy prevention billboard," said Bryant Wilke, environmental health director at the Sanilac County Health Department. "Not to get confused with any pro-choice movements or anything like that, this was specifically meant for teen pregnancy prevention."

Wilke noted the billboard had been in circulation for about 18 months in the county, and he was surprised it drew controversy all of a sudden.

Many mothers, who were pregnant teens in the county, and across the Thumb, shared their success stories on Facebook over the weekend, including Destiny Drain of Sandusky.

"I am a graduate of Sandusky Jr/Sr High school," Drain posted on Facebook. "I got pregnant my junior year and was still able to walk and graduate with my class. I was accepted by six colleges my senior year and am now attending Saginaw Valley State University as a pre-med major."

"Having a baby wasn't ideal at the time sure, but I never once thought that I couldn't be successful if I went through with it," she added. "My daughter is my inspiration, my little extra push when I need it."

In 2018, Sanilac County had a birth rate of 22 births per 1,000 females in the 15 to 19 age range.

"You can look at public health statistics in our area," Wilke said. "Typically, when you look at the statistics, if you get pregnant between the ages of 15 and 19, you drop out of high school. When you look at the billboard, obviously there are no percentages or any types of statistics up there. There should have been more on the billboard to explain it."

Wilke wanted to make clear that the Sanilac County Health Department works with the best interests of the public in mind and that they hope to continue to inform the public about teenage pregnancy.

"After we got so much input from the public, we took a look at it and decided that it was not sending the right message that we wanted to send, so we're pulling it," Wilke said. "We hope that they know that we're sincere in wanting to create a better environment for Sanilac County residents, including our teenagers, our mothers, fathers and children. That's what we stand for. By all means, if through this, it starts to educate about teenage pregnancy in our community, that's a great thing, but we want to do it with appropriate messages."