Abstinence-only sex education increases teen pregnancy in conservative US states, study finds

You don't say?

In an effort to identify the relationship between federal funding of sex education and the adolescent birth rate, researchers looked at pregnancy rates for women aged 15 to 19 between 1998 and 2016. The findings concluded that abstinence-only education is ineffective in decreasing teenage pregnancies.

According to the study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, funding for abstinence-only education “had no effect on adolescent birth rates overall.”

Rather, in conservative states, researchers found the education contributed to an increase in teenage pregnancies.

Source

Now how could this be?


Say it ain't so?


There are long term effects and consequences of putting more controls over woman's bodies. Yet strange... people continue to vote for the same politicians that willingly gut support systems that single mothers (and fathers) are heavily dependent on. Abstinence-only 'education'.



It's any wonder why states continue to spend millions of dollars, your tax payer dollars, funding these classes? For what result? The studies are clear?

An earlier report issued by the Guttmacher Institute in September 2006 compiled teen pregnancy statistics state by state. Among the top 10 states with the highest rates of teen pregnancy among females age 15-19, five are states without mandated sex education or HIV education (ranking indicated in parentheses):

Arizona (2)
Mississippi (3)
Texas (5)
Florida (6)
Arkansas (10)

Source

OOoooh!



Yes, there is no other way to describe the feeling of looking at an attempt in such an obviously stupid way to control teens from getting pregnant with using only abstinence.

These people never were teenagers themselves, it seems.

Does the pregnancy rate include babies carried to term or just teenage women getting pregnant at all? Does it include 18/19 year olds? Just curious.

Well it does say.

"Conclusions. The millions of dollars spent on abstinence-only education has had no effect on adolescent birthrates,"

But it's still bad by god!


Whatever

a reply to: Southern Guardian

Nobody ever got pregnant or a sexually transmitted disease from masturbation. Just weighing in on the issue.

I thought this had been known for a while now.

a reply to: dfnj2015

Rug burn?
Tennis elbow?

a reply to: Bluntone22

Don't forget blindness and hairy palms

a reply to: Southern Guardian

Free condom dispensers in High School bathrooms would help drive down teenage pregnancy in my opinion.

It's abstinence training alone is not as powerful as teenage hormones.

Or, maybe we have program where teenage girls can get birth control for free. That would cut down the number of abortions.

The human body just want's copulation ALL the time by intelligent design.

a reply to: dfnj2015

Her body

Her choice

I live in...wait for it,,,,Texas!
In our small upper middle to wealthy town, my kids were given the full sex education sermon, not abstinence although as a parent that’s what we want and push in the home. Not being a fool I took my sixteen year old daughter to get the pill for “controlling hormones to keep her skin pimple free” lol
If we have an open honest discussion here, I will bet you the farm that the majority of those are in the predominantly Hispanic and Black areas of Texas. I know because I see it everyday. The lower income areas. If you looked at a voting picture of Texas all the areas colored blue will be the exact same areas with teen pregnancy! So how do you fix that? That’s the big question.
It’s also a fact that a large number of Mexican immigrants are Catholic, and they don’t allow contraceptives. In the hood it’s more than likely single moms raising 8 kids. It’s a terrible cycle that everyone would benefit by fixing. But how do you fix that??

It does not take a rocket scientist to work out that if you keep kids ignorant about contraception and sexual health, then they are more likely to get pregnant.

What kids should be taught is the whole caboodle, where abstinence is just one choice to make, but where young adults go into relationships with open eyes and equipped with the facts and options.

Really have no time for restrictive education because of adult hang-ups and fears.

a reply to: TexasTruth

Let me see if I smell what you're cooking.

You're saying that it's more than one factor that contributes to teen pregnancy and not just a single program?

Hmmm


But seriously.
My sophomore daughter told me just yesterday that her junior friend is pregnant.
They are "taking care of it" today or so I hear.

Two weeks ago another girl "a junior" gave birth to her first kid...


Guess what..
Both girls went through the schools sex education program. A full tell all program.

Color me shocked...

originally posted by: Southern Guardian
You don't say?

In an effort to identify the relationship between federal funding of sex education and the adolescent birth rate, researchers looked at pregnancy rates for women aged 15 to 19 between 1998 and 2016. The findings concluded that abstinence-only education is ineffective in decreasing teenage pregnancies.

According to the study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, funding for abstinence-only education “had no effect on adolescent birth rates overall.”

Rather, in conservative states, researchers found the education contributed to an increase in teenage pregnancies.

Source

Now how could this be?

Say it ain't so?

There are long term effects and consequences of putting more controls over woman's bodies. Yet strange... people continue to vote for the same politicians that willingly gut support systems that single mothers (and fathers) are heavily dependent on. Abstinence-only 'education'.

It's any wonder why states continue to spend millions of dollars, your tax payer dollars, funding these classes? For what result? The studies are clear?

An earlier report issued by the Guttmacher Institute in September 2006 compiled teen pregnancy statistics state by state. Among the top 10 states with the highest rates of teen pregnancy among females age 15-19, five are states without mandated sex education or HIV education (ranking indicated in parentheses):

Arizona (2)
Mississippi (3)
Texas (5)
Florida (6)
Arkansas (10)

Source

This is the kind of shotty and superficial analysis I've come to expect from the left and OP.

I believe sex education should be thorough. I don't support abstinence only being taught. However, I question the data and premise of the OPs sources. There are a bunch of questions that would need be answered before anyone could draw any kind of conclusions...

1) Is this measuring only pregnancies brought to term? If so, how do abortions factor in? I'd guess we'd see fewer abortions in more religious areas, so it isn't so much that these states have higher teen pregnancies, but that maybe they don't abort as much?

2) Measuring things at the state level can be tricky. Where are these pregnancies concentrated within the state. For example, most states tend to be red but often the big urban areas with most of the population concentration tend to be blue (or far more liberal). So are these teen pregnancies concentrated in those urban areas or are they evenly distributed state wide?

3) Are these teens as in 14 year olds or teens as in 18 and 19 year olds?

My father was born to a 14 year old girl. I have a cousin who is 48 years old and was a grandfather at 40. These things happen.

I would expect that maybe even 40 years ago almost all first time mothers were teens. In fact, I would say that 60 years ago that if you hadn't had a child by 20 then there was something wrong with you.

Isn't it strange how all of our attitudes change.

Also, aren't we ok with mass immigration because "we" aren't having enough babies?

a reply to: Fools

Did having a baby while being a teen them any benefits?
Did they complete their education?
Did they (still the mothers) have the chance to fulfill their potential outcomes in live?

I doubt that. Most teen pregnancies leave the mothers with heavy dependancies on their parents, burdening them with something they shouldn't have to shoulder in their lives.

Things happen, but they should be the exception, not the rule.

a reply to: ManFromEurope

Did having a baby while being a teen them any benefits?

My grandmother had 3 more children after my father and she helped my grandfather (who is still alive) at every bend in their lives create more wealth in my state than most other families could ever hope to in 5 lifetimes. She was no saint I guess, but she protected and nurtured her family as well as she could and remarkably better than most "modern thinking" women that I know in this day and age.

My cousin got a girl pregnant when he was 17 and she was 16. His daughter had a baby at 18 I believe and now has 2 more. She is currently a registered nurse. As far as I can tell or know they are a decent family.

Did they complete their education?

My grandparents did not as in the 1940's education was not such a big deal to rural people - if considered at all. The big deal then was business or farming of which they did both.

In my cousins case he did not, his ex wife did. I think she ended up being an executive salesperson for a telco. His and her daughter - as mentioned - became an RN which obviously requires some sort of education/certification.
Did they (still the mothers) have the chance to fulfill their potential outcomes in live?

I doubt that. Most teen pregnancies leave the mothers with heavy dependancies on their parents, burdening them with something they shouldn't have to shoulder in their lives.

I think these days that may be more prevailing because it seems most children are taught that they are "special" and are "owed" things from society. Then become despondent when they do get on their own and realize they can't get all that special TLC anymore and that society actually doesnt give a # about them. I think that most kids these days probably are retarded in their individualistic reality and probably do not grow up until 30 or so. I put that shame on people like you though that are all gung ho about socialistic BS in child rearing that in the states is pushed like a religion in our public school system.

Things happen, but they should be the exception, not the rule.

Maybe people need to reconsider the whole idea of what a family means. Maybe things were more accurate over the last 1000 years or so than they have been over the last 50. But that will be impossible for you to contemplate so I won't expect that from such a wonderful example of European intelligencia.

a reply to: Southern Guardian

Of coarse it does. Kids will be kids. I had sex my first time when I was 15. Because I was educated, I knew to use a condom, AND spermicide! My girlfriend (I am a gay man, but tried to do the straight thing) even went on the pill. We knew how to avoid getting pregnant. We had lots of sex for years and no babies!

a reply to: iplay1up2

How did you manage all those years without an abortion clinic?
Are you saying you acted responsibly?

Oh, the horror......

It must be true, I didn't know what to do with that thing till school explained it to me.

I blame gangster rap.