I wonder if mass media, movies, TV, and crap influence these kids--try to look good or tough and fuck. I don't see much of anything else.

Oh yea, another rebuke to the lala land the religious folks live in. They were going to show us all that abstinance until marraige would roll back teen pregnancy and stds. Going around to public schools and setting up "abstinance clubs" with their little promise rings...

Haven't heard much from Dubya and the religious nutjobs about this failing... probably just in denial.

Law of unintended consequence (combined with stupidity) in action again,...

Rule 1: Teenagers, almost without excpetion, want to have sex.

Rule 2: Teenagers, almost without exception WILL have sex.

Rule 3: Uneducated Teenagers that are mostly going to have sex anyway are more likely to concieve a child.

So the pathway goes -> Uninformed teenagers having sex -> Uninformed teenagers having more pregnancies.

Get it Fundies?

Thats right don't teach these girls about rubbers

Was this another result of voting Republican? Sounds like the solid GOP biblical plan is a little off track again. Maybe Bush can write all the teenagers a letter and spell out his plan for abstinence, now that would surely lead the way. Except, I am not sure if he can spell. On the other hand, maybe Bill did not really lead the way either.

So much for abstinence only!

Proof in black & white that the entire "say no to sex" thing is a bunch of bull corn.

One thing that was not touched on in this article is the huge explosive increase of births to single latina women. This trend is huge in Latin America and is growing by leaps and bounds here. The fathers have become optional as the wellfare state steps in to provide basic services. I also feel the trend is related to latina women rejecting the machismo attitude that so often holds them down and is a source of torment. The results are disfunctional and fragmented family units and sky high teen drop out rates as well as other related problems. In my part of the country, its is the norm, not the exception. Very unfortunate.

Abstinence my ass...

woe wait a minute...

of course, teen pregnancy is on the rise. the media reports "cocktail" medication for AIDS, medications for herpes, and vaccines for HPV. what more do you need to encourage a taut teen population to go out and have sex...? where is the discipline...?

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_06.pdf

Scroll down to Figure 6.

It's a table that shows what states have the highest rates for teen pregnancy. Pretty damn telling.

"They blamed it on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education that doesn't teach teens how to use condoms and other contraception."

And Bible Bush's "Abstinence Only" policy actually puts teens lives in DANGER of contracting STDs.

Stay safe, healthy and happy,
Love, Loretta

Why don't kids follow the example w and Laura set? Complete abstinence before marriage is the only way. That was their example, wasn't it?

At least the Bush administration's policies are consistent: Never let facts get in the way of dogmatic decision making.

No wonder we're the laughing stock of the world: funding educational programs that promote ignorance and mandate the withholding of information from children that could save their lives.

Fascist regimes have a vested interest in a population that is both ignorant and which has to scrape by from paycheck to paycheck so there is no time nor will to question the status quo. Seven years of neo-con rule may have been enough to turn America into a XXI version of the banana republic.

So much for banning sex education in schools, having chastity dances, and abstinence vows all the while culture promotes sex in almost everything a young person is exposed to, especially the music videos.

I'm disappointed, but definitely NOT surprised.

It is not all that shocking. Fundamentally, when you wrap a page of the bible around your penis and engage in intercourse it turns out not to prevent pregnancy.