"hk" wrote in message
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D.Duck wrote:
"hk" wrote in message
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D.Duck wrote:
"hk" wrote in message
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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.

Interesting. Some facts I was not aware of.