California teen pregnancies down 40%

[EdwardKnoxII 0]

http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,20...2140038,00.html

 

Teen births plunge 40%

Sharp decline credited to education program

 

 

By Associated Press

 

 

California's teen birth rate has dropped by more than 40 percent over the past decade, a trend attributed to a state-sponsored program that provides information on sexual abstinence and birth control.

 

The state's teen birth rate has fallen from 11th nationwide in 1991 to 21st in 2002, according to the California Wellness Foundation, which runs a statewide teen pregnancy initiative.

 

In Los Angeles County, the number of births to teenage girls between 15 and 19 dropped 20 percent from 1997 to 2001 -- 18,645 to 15,550.

 

"Since 2001, the numbers have continued to drop," said Dawn Wilcox, public education director for Get Real About Teen Pregnancy, a public-education campaign funded by the California Wellness Foundation.

 

"California birth rates are going down and that's due in large part to the investment made in prevention programs," she said.

 

"We cannot lose hope or focus because the youth population continues to expand, and services and programs may be cut that have been focused on teen pregnancy prevention," she said.

 

California's decline in teen birth rates surpassed all other states except Alaska, said Claire Brindis of the Center for Reproductive Health Research at the University of California, San Francisco.

 

The teen birth rate fell from 73 to 41.1 per 1,000 teens between the ages of 15 to 19, Brindis said, citing figures from the state Department of Health Services.

 

California's rate exceeded the 30 percent decline in the national rate between 1991 and 2002. The state fell slightly below the national teen birth rate of 43 per 1,000.

 

California is the only state that refuses to accept federal sex-education money, which requires public schools to teach only sexual abstinence and avoid providing information on contraception.

 

Advocates of California's sex-education program are worried that the cash-strapped state will be pressured to accept $7 million in federal sex-education grants and shift its instruction to one that promotes only sexual abstinence.

 

The state's shift to comprehensive sex education started under Republican Gov. Pete Wilson. Under Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, spending on the program dramatically increased, totaling nearly $200 million over the past decade.

 

The state saved roughly $1 billion in taxpayer money and more than $2 billion in community costs that would be spent on social services for teenage mothers and their babies, Brindis said.

 

Sex-education programs in California schools now emphasize abstinence but also provide information on contraception.

 

Schools are required to teach that abstinence is the only 100 percent effective method in preventing both pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. But with parental approval, students also learn about various contraceptive methods.

 

Despite California's success at reducing teen births, the trend could be reversed by its exploding teenage population. The state Department of Finance projects the rate will start to increase in three years, "leading to a 23 percent increase in the number of teen births per year by 2008."

 

Staff Writer Troy Anderson contributed to this report.

 

Good to see, maybe these fucking religious dumbshits will get the idea that to teach them something realistic. Probably not though. There is nothing wrong with teaching abstinence. There IS something wrong with saying that it is the only thing you can teach.

[Guest Museite]

Which state has the highest teenage pregnancy rate? My bet is Delaware or Alaska, it's cold up there...

[Guest Choken One]

I'd have to say West Virginia and Arkansas or perhaps Kentucky

[Exslade ZX 0]

I'm pretty sure it's just because the porno industry had that halt for the AIDS scare. :shifty:

[Guest Museite]

That's true, but then aren't most of the ladies (even if they are like 18-19) on contraceptive pills anyway?

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

All this means is that more Cali chicks are taking it anally.