Teen Pregnancy: what are we doing wrong?

[catzmeow]

Putting Teen Pregnancy in Perspective | The Nation

We can only gesture toward the myriad factors causing this problem, but here are some likely ones: lack of knowledge about and access to affordable contraception (one in five sexually active teenage girls do not use any kind of birth control); lack of access to abortion-providers in 87 percent of American counties; increased immigration from nations where teen pregnancy is more the norm; and even high poverty rates that cause some girls to see motherhood as the only viable path to adulthood, since a college education and decent job are unavailable to them.

The good news is that the American teen birth rate has steadily decreased over the past seventy years, despite year-to-year ups and downs. The bottom line, though, is that the United States remains an outlier not only on the teen birth rate but on teen pregnancy and abortion, too, which occur far more often here than in European nations. Clearly, our hot-potato reproductive rights debate isn’t solving these problems, which is just one of many good reasons why we should ratchet down the politicization of this public health issue and take a common sense prevention approach, one that accepts that over 95 percent of Americans have premarital sex.

 

[Si modo]

Considering the fact that girls are reaching physical maturity much earlier than past generations, the fact that teen pregnancies are still lower is a feat in and of itself.

But, we do need more work.

 

[strollingbones]

one is attempting to teach teenagers.....they drive fast and live fast and this is part of it....i am simply happy my son has no unplanned offspring...as much as i would like grandkids....i dont want them that way....but he is too dependent on the woman to use birth control....not that he tells me this...but i think most men are that way

 

[strollingbones]

i taught sex ed in public schools for years......the ignorance of the parents is amazing and they do not want the kids to know anymore than they do...i was continually reported by parents for being honest...it is hard to teach sex ed and not discuss sex

 

[iamwhatiseem]

70% of black children are raised without a father.
Black teen pregnancy has been historically double compared to white teens..in the 1990's it almost reached 25%!!! 1 in 4!!
Today it is still better than 1 in 10.

In blacks, it is two things - an amoral culture. And girls without fathers.
I have a 21 year old daughter. When she was a teenager she of course had several boy friends. I watched everything like a hawk. I did what most fathers did...I intimidated the boyfriends to the point they could barely talk to me without sweating. I wanted them nervous, I wanted them to know that at no point did my daughter belong to them - she belonged to me.

White girls, I have always wanted to know the relation to the number of pregnancies to the number of white girls without a father in the home also.
Consider a study done in 1995 that showed that 97% of all girls who stated that their father was in the home said that their relationship with their father contributed to their decisions about sexual activity.
This same study showed that white girls are FIVE times more likely to be a teen mother in a single parent home than with both parents.

Source: Whitehead, Barbara Dafoe. "Facing the Challenges of Fragmented Families." The Philanthropy Roundtable 9.1 (1995): 21.

 

[strollingbones]

it seems some black young men want to do nothing but reproduce without responsibility

 

[manifold]

Why is it a big deal that we have higher teen pregnancy rates than European countries?

 

[iamwhatiseem]

it seems some black young men want to do nothing but reproduce without responsibility

They are basically feral.
Children need a father, just the same as they need a mother.

 

[strollingbones]

i would be careful knocking single mothers....real careful

 

[Samson]

i taught sex ed in public schools for years......the ignorance of the parents is amazing and they do not want the kids to know anymore than they do...i was continually reported by parents for being honest...it is hard to teach sex ed and not discuss sex

From the OP:

"increased immigration from nations where teen pregnancy is more the norm."

I may also add that these "nations" (Mexico), have a deeply Roman Catholic base which niether approves of contraception NOR, certainly, abortion.

Interestingly, whilst I remain a Pagan, Delilah and the slaves (The Girl is still in training) are Catholics. When the Older Slave began to show great interest in girls, despite the advantages of having a fairly good breeding stock to increase my slaveholdings, I equipped him with the appropriate protection.

On the downside, I'll have to go get the mail myself in a few years.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

i would be careful knocking single mothers....real careful

What?
That would be taking it the wrong way completely.
That is like saying soup sucks because you have no spoon in the house.

A mother is a mother. A father is a father, they are not one and the same.
I listed facts. And the data is indisputable.

 

[Mad Scientist]

My Aunt (60's generation) told me she never messed around before marriage because as she said:
"If I got pregnant before I got married my Mother would have KILLED me!"

I just don't see any respect (or fear of) parents from Teens these days.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

My Aunt (60's generation) told me she never messed around before marriage because as she said:
"If I got pregnant before I got married my Mother would have KILLED me!"

I just don't see any respect (or fear of) parents from Teens these days.

It is still there. But clearly waning.
Afterall we are still reeling from the ME generation. The 1980's.
IMO - the most despicable decade in American history...in virtually every aspect.
In the ME generation, everywhere you looked was the mantra - 'in order to make others happy - you have to be happy first" Bullshit. That is an ego-centric point of view. And because of this type of thinking, many people put themselves above everyone around them - including their children.

 

[Marie888]

Hmmm.. Perhaps the LORD was unto something when He talked about not fornicating and waiting for marriage to give our bodies to one another? You know... that love thing?

We teach children in public school that sex is ok as long as you have protection. That's giving them a foot in - why should we be surprised?

What if every American parent talked to their children and told them they are so precious, so loved, and so cherished, that they should wait until they find that perfect someone who loves them and get married?

It's the same from the beginning. Sin leads to sin leads to sin. And we are all prone to it. We need God's help whether people want to admit it or not.

People like to tag God as "bad" or having wrong rules, or even worse, etc. The reality is that He loves us so much, he's set things a certain way - not to harm us, not to make us suffer - but to help and guide us, and for the sake of love.

Just my $.02 on it.

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[catzmeow]

The areas of the world with the highest rates of teen pregnancy are uniformly those areas with high degrees of religiousity. It appears that Jesus doesn't protect you from an unplanned pregnancy.

In countries with the lowest rates of teen pregnancy, abortion, and teen motherhood, there is uniformly a sense that sex is a normal human activity and that prevention means teaching young people to protect their bodies from disease and to prevent an unplanned pregnancy. In our country, we insist upon clinging to a prohibitionist mentality that is entirely ineffective at preventing premarital sex (more than 95% of Americans report having sex before marriage).

 

[catzmeow]

 

[manifold]

Why is it a big deal that we have higher teen pregnancy rates than European countries?

 

[catzmeow]

I listed facts. And the data is indisputable.

Your conclusions about what the data means are arbitrary and subjective, not to mention obtuse and wrong. Of course, this is my subjective opinion, but it's every bit as valid as your extremely disputable conclusions.

 

[catzmeow]

Why is it a big deal that we have higher teen pregnancy rates than European countries?

Children born to teenage parents are more likely to grow up in poverty; less likely to finish high school; and less likely to achieve economic success as adults. In essence, teen parenthood creates a nearly permanent underclass that we all end up paying for via tax dollars. Preventing teen pregnancies would amount to a tangible cash bonus for those of us who pay taxes, so we have a financial investment in doing it properly.

 

[catzmeow]

Consider a study done in 1995 that showed that 97% of all girls who stated that their father was in the home said that their relationship with their father contributed to their decisions about sexual activity.
This same study showed that white girls are FIVE times more likely to be a teen mother in a single parent home than with both parents.

Source: Whitehead, Barbara Dafoe. "Facing the Challenges of Fragmented Families." The Philanthropy Roundtable 9.1 (1995): 21.

A link to this "data" would be helpful. From what I can tell, your source is dated, and god knows what their methodology was. We certainly don't, because you've paraphrased the material and not linked to it directly.