Sex Education Is Failing To Reduce Teen Birthrates In Conservative States, Study Finds

Vitals/LiveScience:

Sex education is failing to reduce adolescent birthrates in conservative states, according to a new study. Perhaps paradoxically, states with a majority conservative population and higher degree of religiosity tend to have higher teen birthrates. The findings suggest that the social structure of the state, such as the degree of conservatism, can undermine the effect of the sex curricula.

Read the whole story at Vitals/LiveScience

Comments

[roguescr1be]

03:43 PM on 03/07/2012

Hey... abstinence only is working so well here that most of our high schools have nurseries full of babies...

our students babies.

[JScott]

10:42 AM on 02/08/2012

Well duh!

[Feifan Chang]

07:54 AM on 02/08/2012

The only way to help the students get a decent education from the public school system and not bankrupt the state any more is to eliminate the teachers union. End of story!

[The Notorious PDF]

08:41 AM on 02/08/2012

Repeat the talking point: You've been trained well by your right-wing leaders.

[Mrpibb]

07:18 PM on 02/23/2012

cool story bro

[NJBill]

06:04 AM on 02/08/2012

Read the article - they said teen BIRTH rates. How about they look at the PREGNANCY rates, hmmm? Conservatives are against abortion, they are ABORTING less! How obvious does that have to be? It's not failure of sex ed (well maybe it's failure of the sex ed to brainwash people into thinking abortion is an acceptable choice, but that's all I can see)

[roguescr1be]

03:49 PM on 03/07/2012

You can check the CDC and NIH...but I can tell you here in Texas there are just as many abortions..in fact more because the main point this was trying to make is that the less teens know about how not to have a baby, the more likely they will have one.

Since you are not going to get humans to have less sex...seems like you would want to do the next responsible thing. And since it is clear that you have never been within 1000 miles of competent sex education you me be the first to inform you that abortion is barely mentioned...and when it does it is almost always explored from the context of saving the mothers life.

If you want less abortions...use more contraception.

And keep your nebulous personal morality personal.

[waltifarian]

06:39 PM on 02/07/2012

Yet another policy failure in TEA Party states that can be added to higher rates of infant mortality, higher divorce rates, lower longevity, more pollution and so on.

[lpsbm]

05:59 PM on 02/07/2012

Naturally, birth rates are usually higher where abortion rates are lower.

[Mrpibb]

07:21 PM on 02/23/2012

so, conversely abortion rates would be higher in non-conservative states, correct? Evidence?

[OzoneTom]

02:48 PM on 02/07/2012

In "Faith vs. Facts" once again "Reality has a liberal bias" is shown to be a reliable truism.

[Pushed72]

01:19 PM on 02/07/2012

The numbers are skewed because of the high teen birth rates among Hispanics assuming I read the full article correctly.

[Clozure]

03:48 PM on 03/09/2012

cool story bro

[AAHewetson]

01:17 PM on 02/07/2012

Considering that, way back when, I joined a christian youth group to get closer to my girlfriend - if you know what I mean - this doesn't surprise me at all.

[trumbull desi]

12:56 PM on 02/07/2012

Crossing your legs doesn't work. Never has, never will.

[VictoryBlue]

12:46 PM on 02/07/2012

I live in Texas. Here is a giant freaking "DUH!" for you. When you relie on fairy tale beings for your sex education, you will not get a story book ending.

[The Notorious PDF]

12:13 PM on 02/07/2012

These findings are not at all surprising.

[NJBill]

06:06 AM on 02/08/2012

Exactly. Liberals have more abortions. (Wow, THAT took long to figure out why Conservative states have higher BIRTH rates, didn't it)

[The Notorious PDF]

08:35 AM on 02/08/2012

Typical right-winger, relying completely on grandiose delusions and absurd fantasy. Liberals are more educated, and educated people tend to be more responsible in things such as pregnancy, which is why liberal states have lower pregnancy rates, AND likely lower abortion rates.

[an seanchus mor]

12:01 PM on 02/07/2012

Less availability and support for the use of contraception
coupled with a magical view of reality,
where’s the paradox here?

[NJBill]

06:07 AM on 02/08/2012

NO, less abortions from people who don't approve of abortion!

[an seanchus mor]

08:54 AM on 02/08/2012

Well I suppose that true too, less abortion, less contraception and the usual level of teenage sex would cause more births to teen mothers, and the generally good standards of well-being and health might also decrease miscarriage not to mention child mortality itself.
And I suppose the paradox question is a bit misguiding.
Still the statistic is important.

Unfortunately the churches aren’t as socialist as they used to be, providing valuable birthing services and so on.

These days, the churches are obviously trying to save money through abstinence drives, and even then when marriage is involved, it’s no guarantee of a job for the optimal raising of sanctioned children.

[StopMakingSense2]

11:05 AM on 02/07/2012

Why should that area of education be any different than the rest when it comes to red states? Mythology and dogma trumps facts and reason every time! I believe is all that is required regardless of reality!

[sharpstick]

10:51 AM on 02/07/2012

In other words:

Nature's inborn programming is more powerful than their man-made god. But homosexuality is a choice. Yeah right.