Regionally, the northeast has the lowest while the south and southwest herald the highest rates. The new data shows the greatest increases in teen pregnancy rates in Alaska, Mississippi, Montana, Hawaii, and Nevada.

A number of factors are being cited as influencing the rise including a rise in highly publicized teen pregnancies, abstinence-only programs, and a disproportionate number of pregnancies among minority teenagers.

If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, I think teens should be offered every possible education alternative when it comes to sex education. I think offering abstinence only programs is like offering a child vitamin C and not teaching them any other preventative measures like washing hands or covering their mouths to avoid the spread colds and flues.

Sometimes parents have to take that extra uncomfortable step and actually TALK to their kids in order for them to actually understand real risks and prevention.

Just sayin’

Post from: Blisstree

CDC Report Indicates Teen Pregnancy Rates Rising

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which looked data gathered from nearly 1,000 teens.

It was found that teens who took the virginity pledge varied little from from teens who did not when it came to their actually waiting to have intercourse.

Religion, on the other hand provided a completely different story by revealing teens who were religious waited until the average age of 21 to have intercourse, compared to 17 for those who were not religious.

Having personally been brought up with a Southern Baptist grandmother, I can see why religion would pay such a key roll in a teens desire to wait. It wasn’t so much that I “wanted to wait” as it was my overwhelming fear of what would happen if I didn’t.

I’d be interested in knowing what churches the polled teens belong to.

Post from: Blisstree

Religious Teens Have Less Sex

Teens who took the pledge were less likely to use birth control pills or condoms than those making no promise. Essentially, the results show that teens need information on safe sex and pregnancy prevention even if they vow to refrain.

Imagine, teens making a promise and within a year or two – they up and change their mind. Gasp

I think it’s great that teens make such promises – but being a realist I know that kids change their minds from day to day.

What do you think about the whole virginity pledge thing? I think it’s a great idea, but it’s just that – an idea. I’m not sure how to make it actually work, but for crying out loud, kids need to know that it takes more than making a virginity promise to keep them from getting pregnant or from contracting a life altering STD.

Source: Bloomberg

Post from: Blisstree

Newsflash: Virginity Pledges Fail