Unanticipated Consequences of A Failed Reproductive Rights Policy

[ThomWV]

Link to full Story: http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/11/21/unmarried.births.ap/index.html

George had done it again. After 6 years of Christian Right rule here is what we get:

"4 in 10 U.S. children born in 2005 were out of wedlock

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Out-of-wedlock births in the United States have climbed to an all-time high, accounting for nearly four in 10 babies born last year, government health officials said Tuesday.

While out-of-wedlock births have long been associated with teen mothers, the teen birth rate actually dropped last year to the lowest level on record. Instead, births among single mothers rose most dramatically among women in their 20s."

The article continues ....

[Le Taz Hot]

1. So, are you trying to tell me

that abstinance thing isn't workin' real well?

[Beer Snob-50]

2. it seems taht abstinance is working among teens

who are the primary targets for this.

[CTyankee]

5. But it doesn't hold when they get older, or at least that is one

conclusion we can draw from this story. Which is what Planned Parenthood and other responsible sex educators have said, and studies have backed up over and over again.

Remember how unplanned pregnancies AND abortions declined during Clinton's 8 years in office?

[Beer Snob-50]

6. Agreed

as they get older than birth control is the more responsible thing to do. It has to be taught in the lower grades along with the idea of just saying no.

[CTyankee]

12. Pirate, you should know that Planned Parenthood's sex education

curriculum includes abstinence as a 100% foolproof contraceptive and it has for many years, but it does so in the context of other effective methods. The fact is that PP has been presenting sex ed in a medically accurate form for teens and young adults for YEARS and this has been incredibly effective. It is ridiculous that PP advocates promiscuity. It simply presents the facts and also talks about your own family values.

I worked for Planned Parenthood of Connecticut for 6 years and I know whereof I speak!

[Nikki Stone1]

13. Planned Parenthood is an excellent organization

i knew people who worked for them as well.

[TlalocW]

11. I do

And I argue with my conservative friends that as much as they would like to believe that pushing a national moral agenda would bring down out-of-wedlock births and abortions, what really had an effect on their drop was the economy. Just about everyone was doing better under Clinton's economy - since jobs were plentiful, you didn't have people with college degrees working the fry machines at McDonald's, so those jobs went to teenagers, which helped keep them busy. Various programs like Midnight Basketball, which the right derided (although the person who came up with it was one of the first Bush's 1000 points of lights) helped as well, and to particpate you had to attend classes on how to write a resume/do an interview, etc. Also with the economy, more people being employed, and high schoolers feeling they actually had a future and a better chance to go to college (thanks to more funding for grants and scholarships under Clinton), people didn't want to screw up their futures by getting pregnant or getting someone pregnant accidentally so they were more careful.

TlalocW

[aquart]

3. I guess they didn't "just say no."

[Toots]

10. Abstinence.. Obstinate..

I know there has to be some difference..:shrug:

[Agnomen]

4. These statistics don't reflect

that some people just don't bother to get married anymore. Yes, the mother might be "unwed", but that does not mean there's no father in the house. It would be interesting to see what percentage of those single mothers in their twenties are in committed relationship, just living without the blessing of church or state.

[Le Taz Hot]

7. Actually, that's a good point.

I seem to recall a recent report that stated that has been dropping significantly over the past ?? years. Any guesses as to why that is?

[ThomWV]

8. Excellent Observation

Well thought out and well put.

It makes one wonder about the 'sanctity of marriage" that George is always talking about doesn't it?

Thank you.

[kedrys]

9. I'd like to see a comparison of similarly-composed households in Canada

Out of a gaggle of cousins, only one is formally married - the oldest. All my other cousins are in settled relationships, many with kids, and nobody bats an eye about it. And this is in the Province of Quebec, where the Catholic Church was pretty much told to butt out and go f*ck itself in the 50s.

Apparently, the paperwork to get married up there has gotten so stupid that everybody just sort of moves in with everybody else and has kids if they want to. One interesting side effect of this is that exes seems to be on much better terms with each other, judging from an admittedly small sample of my sister's friends.