D.Duck wrote:
"hk" wrote in message
. ..
D.Duck wrote:
"hk" wrote in message
. ..
Unexpurgated comment from a real mom
as a pro-choice mother of teenage boys, the fundamentalist view being
portrayed nationwide as this teen pregnancy being hailed as a "blessed
event" scares the sh** out of me. i live in a rural area that has one of
the state's highest teen pregnancy rates. this has been discussed openly
in our home because i have witnessed over and over the "joy" little
girls portray as they drop out of school and push their baby carriages
around town. i have seen the young men drop out of school, get a job to
buy diapers just because they had unprotected sex. i have always
encouraged my boys to wait to have sex, but i know there are families
out there,just like the palins, that will throw a big party for the
child-mom who "chooses" to have the baby. i am scared to death of the
teen girls who are watching who are hearing just what they want to
hear - go ahead - get pregnant. my boys have access to condoms, and i
sure hope they use them. and, i can guarantee i keep a closer eye on my
boys than sarah palin apparently kept on her daughter. and, even if this
pretty young couple gets married, i suppose we'll see another chapter of
their "normal" family when they divorce in 3-5 years.
How do we know that you didn't author this little snippet?
http://tinyurl.com/58x4jq
It's there.
And it's right on.
We're facing a future of an increase in the number of pregnant unmarried
girls who will be following the Palin example. Bet on it.
Unwed mother pregnancies have been on the increase for years. Can any
political leaning claim the highest occurrences?
I believe they're down by more than 40% in California, where the schools
teach sex ed and contraception. In Texas, where they teach abstinence,
they're up substantially.
Check those stats...I'm sure you can find them.
The teenage birth rate in the United States is the highest in the
developed world, and the teenage abortion rate is also high.[3] The U.S.
teenage pregnancy rate was at a high in the 1950s and has decreased
since then, although there has been an increase in births out of
wedlock.[11] The teenage pregnancy rate decreased significantly in the
1990s; this decline manifested across all racial groups, although
teenagers of African-American and Hispanic descent retain a higher rate,
in comparison to that of European-Americans and Asian-Americans.
**********The Guttmacher Institute attributed about 25% of the decline
to abstinence and 75% to the effective use of
contraceptives.**********[12] [13] However, as of 2006 the teenage birth
rate began to rise once again for the first time in fourteen years.[14]
This could imply that teen pregnancy rates are also on the rise, however
the rise could also be due to other sources: a possible decrease in the
number of abortions or a decrease in the number of miscarraiges, to name
a few. The Canadian teenage birth has also trended towards a steady
decline for both younger (15-17) and older (18-19) teens in the period
between 1992-2002.[15]
3 a b c d e f g h UNICEF. (2001). A League Table of Teenage Births in
Rich NationsPDF (888 KiB). Retrieved July 7, 2006.
11 ^ guttmacher.org
12 ^ U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Rate Drops For 10th Straight Year."
Retrieved July 7, 2006.
13^ Wind, Rebecca. The Guttmacher Institute. (February 19, 2004).
14^ Teen Birth Rates Up for First Time in 14 Years, U.S. Reports
15 ^ Dryburgh, H. (2002). Teenage pregnancy. Health Reports, 12 (1),
9-18; Statistics Canada . (2005). Health Indicators, 2005, 2. Retrieved
from Facts and Statistics: Sexual Health and Canadian Youth - Teen
Pregnancy Rates
16^ a b Beginning Too Soon: Adolescent Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy And
Parenthood, US Department of Health and Human Services, Retrieved
January 25, 2007
17^ a b Teenage Mothers : Decisions and Outcomes - Provides a unique
review of how teenage mothers think Policy Studies Institute, University
of Westminster, 30 Oct 1998
18 ^ Guttmacher Institute. (2005). Sex and Relationships. Retrieved
August 8, 2006.
19 ^ a b U.S.Teen Sexual ActivityPDF (147 KiB) Kaiser Family Foundation,
January 2005. Retrieved 23 Jan 2007
Note the cite about abstinence versus contraceptives. Contraceptives
usually work. Abstinence education usually does not.