Newspapers Respond To Increase In U.S. Teen Birth Rate

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 12 Jan 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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Two newspapers recently published editorials in response to the increase in U.S. teen birth rates across 26 states in 2006, which was announced Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Summaries appear below.

~ Jackson Clarion-Ledger: "Mississippi now has the dubious distinction of leading the nation in teen pregnancy," a Clarion-Ledger editorial writes, adding that in terms of social indicators, "[h]ardly any is more devastating than the state's teen pregnancy rate," which was 60% higher than the national average at 68 births per 1,000 teenage girls. The issue of "why" is "a question for debate," the editorial writes. Although Mississippi has "higher proportions of black and Hispanic teenagers, groups which traditionally have higher birth rates overall," the increase in teen birth rates traverses demographic and state lines, according to the editorial. Some people blame the increase in rates on abstinence-only education programs, while others blame "a culture in which sex permeates movies, television and advertisements," the editorial says. However, it adds that state health officer Ed Thompson "correctly points out that it takes both urging of abstinence and affordable and accessible birth control" to address the issue. The editorial continues, "[I]t is folly to rely solely on abstinence-only programs. Teens need accurate information and sexually active teens need access to birth control," adding that they also need influences "other than those they are getting from pop culture. That is beyond government's control and must start at home." There may be a question as to why the rate has increased, "but what is not in question is the devastating list of effects," the editorial writes, continuing, "It's a foundational problem that creates other problems for Mississippi -- poverty, poor health care and a host of other social ills." It concludes, "Mississippi will never be able to move up in the positive indicators as long as we have kids having kids" (Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 1/9).

~ Memphis Commercial Appeal: There is a "moral dimension to the problem [of teen births] that is sometimes overlooked," a Commercial Appeal editorial writes. It continues, "[R]esearch shows that [a teen birth] more often limits the educational and economic prospects of both mother and child." According to the editorial, teenage fathers often have less "wage-earning ability," and research shows that sons of teenage fathers are "13% more likely than their peers with older parents to end up in prison." The editorial adds, "Evidence clearly shows, as well, that abstinence-only sex education programs, which have cost tax-payers millions of dollars during the course of the Bush administration, are ineffective. "Although the reason behind the South's increase in the birth rate is not clear, "it is clear what remedies would be more effective for the teenage populations of the Mid-South: straight talk about the benefits of abstinence and the effectiveness of contraception," the editorial says. The price of rising teen birth rates "is steep, culturally and economically," according to the editorial. It concludes that communities that are "unwilling to make birth control available to their youths, as well, must then be willing to care for a population that is less educated, less employable and more likely to have children at a young age" (Memphis Commercial Appeal, 1/9).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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