Teen Births Now Rising
Teenagers Having Babies Up For the First Time in 15 Years
The upward trend for teen births is expected to continue to rise according to the CDC, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Birth Rates to Teens Down Since 1991
The birth rate among teenagers has been declining since 1991. In 1991, the peak in teen births, there were 62 births per 1000 girls. The rates have been declining since then. However, in 2005 the rate was 40.5 per 1000 and 42 per 1000 in 2006. Translating those percentages into births, there were 20,000 more babies born to teen mothers in 2006 than in 2005. The federal government is saying that this may be a one-year only increase. But, others are saying that it is a trend.
U.S. Fertility Is Also Up
The national fertility rate is the highest since 1971 and increased 2% since 2005-2006 to 2.1 children. The report did not specify any racial group responsible for the growth.
Abstinence-Only Programs
The government has spent more than $1 billion on abstinence-only programs over the past decade. This has many wondering if that philosophy is effective and if it should continue. The CDC survey was broken down state by state and it was noted that many states that taught abstinence-only programs had higher birth rates among teens. This has many opponents of the abstinence-only program stating that this is evidence that it is not enough to preach abstinence.
Contraceptive-Focused Sex Education
On the other hand, if you review the statistics of the contraceptive-focused sex education, it seems to have failed, as well. Teens state that they use contraceptives 63% of the time, which is up from 46% in 1991. So, why the higher birth rate?
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Dr. Carol Hogue, an Emory University professor of maternal and child health, stated that STDs are rising so she expected the birth rates to rise accordingly—and they did. Common STDs are
- Syphilis
- Gonorrhea
- Chlamydia
Planned Parenthood Federation of America officials state that research shows that abstinence-only programs do not cause a decrease in teenage sexual activity.
Experts Disagree
Experts are now trying to reach conclusions about the new statistics. They are very divided in their opinions. Many blame the abstinence-only program and others state other approaches are not working either. Those trying to pass funding for the abstinence-only programs will have a tough battle trying to justify it.
Source: CNN.com.
Add the Dropout Factor
Who are the mothers of these babies? Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, Texas have drop out rates of over 50%. Other states are seeing 40% dropout rates. If the 16-year-old mother is a drop out and the 17-year-old father is a drop out, the chances of this baby having all the necessities in life are slim.
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2008 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
