Those abstinence-only programs are really bringing down the teen pregnancy rate . . . or are they?
Teen pregnancy is down. Is it because of those abstinence pledges? As indicated in this article from the BBC News, “88% of those who make the pledge break the pledge, so it must be down to condoms and safe sex education.”
The Guttmacher Institute recently released its own survey showing that most of the decline in U.S. teen pregnancy rates is the result of the teens using birth control, not abstinence:
Eighty-six percent of the recent decline in U.S. teen pregnancy rates is the result of improved contraceptive use, while a small proportion of the decline (14%) can be attributed to teens waiting longer to start having sex, according to “Explaining Recent Declines in Adolescent Pregnancy in the United States: The Contribution of Abstinence and Improved Contraceptive Use” by John Santelli et al., published in the January issue of the American Journal of Public Health. This study raises serious questions about the value of the federal government’s funding of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that prohibit information about the benefits of condoms and contraception.
There is a wealth of information regarding reproductive health available at the Guttmacher Institute site. I will visit the site regularly to stay updated. Here is the Institute’s Mission Statement.
The Guttmacher Institute advances sexual and reproductive health through an interrelated program of social science research, policy analysis and public education, designed to generate new ideas, encourage enlightened public debate, promote sound policy and program development, and, ultimately, inform individual decision-making.
The Institute envisions a world in which all women and men have the ability to exercise their rights and responsibilities regarding sexual behavior, reproduction and family formation, freely and with dignity. Essential to this vision are societal respect for and protection of personal decision-making with regard to unwanted pregnancies and births, as well as public and private-sector policies that support individuals and couples in their efforts to become responsible and supportive parents, maintain stable family structures and balance parenting with other roles. Equally vital to the Institute’s vision are the eradication of gender inequality worldwide and the attainment of equal status, rights and responsibilities for women.
- Bush’s new head of family-planning programs opposes birth control
- Abstinence only versus comprehensive sex education
- Abstinence-only sex education doesn’t cause teens to abstain
- Tax dollars taken from real medical clinics and diverted to fake pregnancy clinics
- Exploring evangelical attitudes toward unwed pregnancy
This site looks promising…
http://www.friendlyatheist.com
It turns out that the “friendly atheist” sold his soul on Ebay, for $506. Now he is semi-famous. Talk about easy money…
http://off-the-map.org/atheist/the-ebay-atheist-story
For the full article, see the NYT.
Teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are just as likely to have premarital sex as those who do not promise abstinence and are significantly less likely to use condoms and other forms of birth control when they do, according to a study released today.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/29/study-virginity-pledges-a_n_153928.html