First off, this article wins our coveted Headline of the Day: “Teen birth rates up in 26 states.” If you thought Benjamin Button was bad, people are giving birth to nasty, surly teenagers!
But seriously (guys), let’s take a look at this very serious article about a very serious problem:
“The latest data on teen birth rates shows significant increases in 26 states, according to government data out today, which suggests that the rise in teens having babies is geographically broad-based and represents most regions of the USA.”
Wow, that’s really serious. The entire country is knocking up teens? All 26 states?
“The highest teen birth rates are in the South and Southwest; Mississippi is highest with 68.4 per 1,000, followed by New Mexico, with a rate of 64.1 and Texas, with 63.1. The lowest rates are in the Northeast. New Hampshire had the fewest teen births with 18.7 per 1,000. Vermont, with 20.8 per 1,000, and Massachusetts, with 21.3 per 1,000, were also low. Decreases were noted in New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia.”
Nope, just the South.
So, what could be the factor in these very conservative states that fear science and contraception that is contributing to this rise in teen pregancy? Let’s ask some kind of expert, like Sarah Brown, the CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:
“‘In the last couple of years, we had Jamie Lynn Spears. We had Juno and we had Bristol Palin. Those three were in 2007 and 2008 and not in 2005 to 2006, but they point to that phenomenon,’ she says.”
Ah, of course. It’s television! Surprisingly, nobody has mentioned video games, like the soon-to-be-released Rock Star title, High School Baby-Making.
So, as long as we have stupid adults trying to wrap their heads around this problem, it appears the teen pregnancy rate will continue to rise.
Ahem.
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/strategy/imaginebabyz/index.html
right. the tv did it. every time i see that excuse, i think of Dick Cavett:
“There’s so much comedy on television. Does that cause comedy in the streets?”
Dick Cavett (1936 – )