Finding Safe Haven at the Center of a National Debate

June 23, 2009— -- It's late afternoon and a new mother is desperately trying to get her son to sleep. She has homework to do and a crying baby isn't good for concentration.

"I'm exhausted and tired and it's kind of getting on my nerves, but you just have to deal with it," Mahogany says. Mahogany became pregnant between the eighth and ninth grades, and gave birth to her son Khaesyn just two weeks before her 15th birthday.

Mahogany's situation is typical of many teenage mothers: She's the daughter of a single mother who was also a teenage mother; her son's father is only sporadically involved in his life and basic necessities are not always readily available.

When "Primetime" visited her Louisville home, there was no electricity.

Watch the premiere of "Primetime: Family Secrets" Tuesday, June 23 at 10 p.m. ET.

Although there are a lot of things she doesn't have, Mahogany does have a very special school to help her.

After she gets her son to sleep, a teacher from the Westport Teenage Parent Program (TAPP) arrives to help her catch up with homework.

TAPP, one of two schools in Louisville for pregnant teens, has provided educational, medical and daycare support services to the city's teen moms and moms-to-be since 1970. Current enrollment is 320 girls and TAPP will provide on-site nursery care to 190 babies this year.

Mahogany enrolled in TAPP when she was five-and-a-half months pregnant. In addition to the logistical support it provides, Westport TAPP is also a safe haven for girls like Mahogany who sometimes feel isolated and ostracized during their pregnancies.

"I didn't want to face anybody. I didn't want to go to school, so that's when I heard of TAPP," Mahogany says. "This was the only place I knew I could go to."

When everyone's pregnant, no one can judge.

Despite the obvious challenges, Mahogany is driven to succeed and says she doesn't want anyone's pity. She also hopes to be the first one in her family to graduate from college.