On Feb. 5, The Chronicle ran an article bringing attention again to the fact that Georgia has experienced a sharp decrease in teen pregnancy rates ("Decline in teen births among nation's highest"). The CEO of the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, Michelle Ozumba, has declared the availability of contraception responsible for the decrease.
Crediting contraception with lowering teen pregnancy rates ignores the correlation of sexual activity in adolescents with depression and other problems, not the least of which are sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies.
In 2007 the media touted "evidence" from a large DHHS-funded study that abstinence-based programs "did not work." If they did not work, why has there been such a significant reduction in pregnancy rates? This government-sponsored study looked at only four of the worst and most poorly attended programs, out of several hundred abstinence programs.
Surveying students about abstinent behavior and attitudes several years after a grade-school or middle-school program, with no reinforcement of abstinence in between, produced what was expectedly disappointing results.
Ms. Ozumba also mentions again the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant awarded to GCAPP, which is partnering with Planned Parenthood (Augusta Chronicle, Oct. 7, 2010, "Funds target high teen birth rate") and other community organizations to promote "evidence-based" sex education programs.
These programs, listed on the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy website's "What Works" list, are mostly Planned Parenthood-style comprehensive sex education programs. The vast majority of these "evidence-based" programs did not present any evidence of reducing pregnancy rates, and many did not even measure the number of pregnancies.
Our youth and the public are being sold a false bill of goods under the pretense that comprehensive sex education programs promoting contraception are evidence-based. Let's keep doing what is right for our youth, and promote abstinence/character-building programs that have shown positive results in lowering teen pregnancy rates during the past decade.
Amen; good letter. Abstinence works 100% of the time. Preventing pregnancy without preventing sin destroys morals and the character of young people. Satan tells them to sin and then makes them feel bad about it. If you are looking for destruction in your life satan will be glad to help.
Do you think that just maybe some birth control methods have gotten better....teach it in high school to all kids..
More teens are having sex than not.
Yeah, I have to be a realist here. If contraception works and it apparently does, why not? To say teens having sex end up depressed or contracting VD is off the subject. The fact is young people have always had sex and always will. We have entirely too many illegitimate children in this country.
Well riverman it is a good thing some are having sex or this world would come to a screeching HALT!----lol
If they would just pay for what they b-e-g-e-t...
SeenitB4, ha, where would we be without begetting, huh?
I take issue with this LTE. I do not believe that more teens are having sex now. Ask your 14 yo daughters if they are sexually active and I believe 95% of them will say no. I would like to see a program where by all non invasive forms of bc are available to kids who are brought in by their parents. We could call it a family physician visit. This could be done at a cost paid wholly by the end user of the bc and we could call that a combo of office visit and pharmaceutical fees.
From a Gail Collins Op-Ed a few days ago:
"Texas gobbles up more federal funds than any other state for the purpose of teaching kids that the only way to avoid unwanted pregnancies is to avoid sex entirely. (Who knew that the health care reform bill included $250 million for abstinence-only sex ed? Thank you, Senator Orrin Hatch!) But the state refused to accept federal money for more expansive, “evidence-based” programs.
“Abstinence works,” said Governor Perry during a televised interview with Evan Smith of The Texas Tribune.
“But we have the third highest teen pregnancy rate among all states in the country,” Smith responded.
“It works,” insisted Perry.
“Can you give me a statistic suggesting it works?” asked Smith.
“I’m just going to tell you from my own personal life. Abstinence works,” said Perry, doggedly. "
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/opinion/17gailcollins.html
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