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Teen births on the rise in U.S.
Filed under: Teens, Your Pregnancy, In The News
Back in July, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that based on 2005 numbers, the teen birthrate in the U.S. was lower than it had ever been. Now, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released numbers for the period of 2005 to 2006 and it's not good news. For the first time in 15 years, the teen birth rate has risen - up 3% during that period.
The reason for the rise isn't clear, but some suspect it is merely a one-year statistical blip. But other experts say they aren't surprised by the numbers and blame increased federal funding for abstinence-only education that excludes information on contraception. Dr. Carol Hogue, a professor at Emory University, believes that theory is backed up by the fact that some sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise as well. "It's not rocket science," she said.
However, there are some statistics that contradict that theory. One government survey of high school students found that the percentage of those who said they used condoms the last time they had sex actually rose from 46 percent in 1991 to 63 percent in 2005.
Another interesting finding in the study was that the rate of Caesarean section deliveries also rose 3 percent. It is now at an all time high of 31 percent of all births. I find that very disturbing and medical officials agree that it is higher than medically necessary.
The full report, which includes state-by-state findings, can be found here.
The reason for the rise isn't clear, but some suspect it is merely a one-year statistical blip. But other experts say they aren't surprised by the numbers and blame increased federal funding for abstinence-only education that excludes information on contraception. Dr. Carol Hogue, a professor at Emory University, believes that theory is backed up by the fact that some sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise as well. "It's not rocket science," she said.
However, there are some statistics that contradict that theory. One government survey of high school students found that the percentage of those who said they used condoms the last time they had sex actually rose from 46 percent in 1991 to 63 percent in 2005.
Another interesting finding in the study was that the rate of Caesarean section deliveries also rose 3 percent. It is now at an all time high of 31 percent of all births. I find that very disturbing and medical officials agree that it is higher than medically necessary.
The full report, which includes state-by-state findings, can be found here.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
12-06-2007 @ 9:25PM
Shakespear said...Could it be........abstinence only education doesnt work!?
Reply
12-09-2007 @ 8:27AM
Gry said...*shock*! Say it ain't sooooo!!!
:P
12-06-2007 @ 10:16PM
SKL said...If I recall correctly, I think it also found that the overall number of births rose even more than the teen birth number. So maybe there's something in the water . . . or global warming . . . who knows.
I would be interested to know also what the abortion rate did during the same time period.
Reply