Teen Birth Rate Rises for the First Time in Fourteen Years
December 6, 2007
HARRISBURG - The Center for Disease Control release of the 2006 teen birth rate statistics confirmed what reproductive health care advocates know: the United States is facing a teen pregnancy health care crisis, and the national and state policy of abstinence-only programs just isn't working.
According to newly released CDC data the rate of teen births nationally rose by 3% overall – the first increase in the teen birth rate since 1991 and identical to the rate of increase in the Commonwealth. Meanwhile the birth rate by unmarried mothers rose to 38.3% of births in 2006 – making almost 4 in 10 births to unmarried women in the Commonwealth.
"The United States still holds the dubious distinction of having the highest teen pregnancy rate among the most developed nations and Pennsylvania is part of the problem," said Sari Stevens, Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates. "It is time for everyone who cares about teenagers to start focusing on the commonsense solutions that will help solve this problem."
Nationally, more than a billion dollars has been spent on unproven abstinence only education programs. Senator Specter earmarks millions of dollars in abstinence only funding for Pennsylvania, despite recent studies showing that abstinence only programs have no impact on teen sexual behavior.
"Congress and our state officials should put the right foot forward and immediately cease funding for dangerous abstinence-only programs that deny young people information about how to prevent pregnancy, protect their health and make responsible decisions," said Stevens.
The sexuality education guidelines in Pennsylvania require only that school curricula include instruction on HIV/AIDS prevention, with an emphasis on abstinence. Abstinence only dollars constitute the sole funding available to schools and community organizations, despite the fact that a 2004 evaluation of PA's abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, conducted by Penn State’s Prevention Research Center and commissioned by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, found abstinence-only programs to be "largely ineffective in reducing sexual onset," and recommended that the state adopt a more comprehensive approach to sex education. Under the existing federal guidelines for abstinence-only funded programs, teachers are forbidden from discussing contraception or sexually transmitted disease prevention, even in response to students' questions.
"Politics aside, teenagers should be given the tools to abstain from sex if they so choose, and if they don’t, they should have the knowledge of how to protect against disease and pregnancy,” said Stevens. “Safe sex promotes health and saves lives. It's time to put money toward real solutions that will help prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among teenagers."
