For the 943rd time, the whole abstinence thing isn't working:
Between 2005 and 2006, the number of teenage girls between the ages 15 to 17 having babies rose by more than 5,700 to 138,920, from a record low of 133,138, according to an annual report on the health and well-being of children and teens published by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.This is, incidentally, the first jump since 1991.
The 4 percent increase in the teen pregnancy rate is cause for concern among health professionals.
“This is one of the key indicators for the health of the teen population,” said Edward Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics, during a conference call with the media. “Not only does this affect teen health at this point, but their health and well-being for the next 20 to 40 years, and the health and well-being of their children.”
About 22 out of every 1,000 girls ages 15 to 17 became pregnant in 2006, compared to 21 out of every 1,000 in 2005. The pregnancy rate hit an all-time high of 39 births per 1,000 teens in 1991 and then steadily declined until 2006.
If abstinence-only education showed some promise -- any promise -- I'd be open to continuing with it. But abstinence-only education runs into the facts on the ground, which are that teenagers are having sex. Lots of it. As they have been since...when did Homo Erectus evolve again?
If we want teen pregnancy to decrease, we need to give our children the tools to avoid it. That means teaching them about what birth control is, how to use it, how to make responsible, informed decisions about sex. And yes, that does include telling them that they don't have to -- because they don't, and they should know that.
But telling teens about contraception isn't encouraging them to have sex. They're quite encouraged enough. They need facts. They need education. They need respect. That's what will reverse this trend.
Boy, I Just Can't Imagine How This Could Be
For the 943rd time, the whole abstinence thing isn't working:
If abstinence-only education showed some promise -- any promise -- I'd be open to continuing with it. But abstinence-only education runs into the facts on the ground, which are that teenagers are having sex. Lots of it. As they have been since...when did Homo Erectus evolve again?
If we want teen pregnancy to decrease, we need to give our children the tools to avoid it. That means teaching them about what birth control is, how to use it, how to make responsible, informed decisions about sex. And yes, that does include telling them that they don't have to -- because they don't, and they should know that.
But telling teens about contraception isn't encouraging them to have sex. They're quite encouraged enough. They need facts. They need education. They need respect. That's what will reverse this trend.
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Between 2005 and 2006, the number of teenage girls between the ages 15 to 17 having babies rose by more than 5,700 to 138,920, from a record low of 133,138, according to an annual report on the health and well-being of children and teens published by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.This is, incidentally, the first jump since 1991.
The 4 percent increase in the teen pregnancy rate is cause for concern among health professionals.
“This is one of the key indicators for the health of the teen population,” said Edward Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics, during a conference call with the media. “Not only does this affect teen health at this point, but their health and well-being for the next 20 to 40 years, and the health and well-being of their children.”
About 22 out of every 1,000 girls ages 15 to 17 became pregnant in 2006, compared to 21 out of every 1,000 in 2005. The pregnancy rate hit an all-time high of 39 births per 1,000 teens in 1991 and then steadily declined until 2006.
If abstinence-only education showed some promise -- any promise -- I'd be open to continuing with it. But abstinence-only education runs into the facts on the ground, which are that teenagers are having sex. Lots of it. As they have been since...when did Homo Erectus evolve again?
If we want teen pregnancy to decrease, we need to give our children the tools to avoid it. That means teaching them about what birth control is, how to use it, how to make responsible, informed decisions about sex. And yes, that does include telling them that they don't have to -- because they don't, and they should know that.
But telling teens about contraception isn't encouraging them to have sex. They're quite encouraged enough. They need facts. They need education. They need respect. That's what will reverse this trend.
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