Combatting Teen Preganancy
Teen pregnancy, even among Christians, remains an issue that parents must face head on with their teen dughters and especially with their sons (it takes two to tangle – or however that saying goes).
Two recent reports from the Institute show that sexually active teens, treen pregnancy and abortions are on the rise again after a period of decline.
Fittingly we would like to offer some resources to help mother s and fathers address these issues in their homes. Below are some conclusions of the recent reports followed by some websites that provide valuable information for the combatting these issues. We hope these resources are helpful.
The Guttmacher Institute Reports
Now, the Guttmacher Institute has issued a new report, U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity on Teen Pregnancy. Some of the conclusions in that report are:
- Between 1990 and 2005:
- 41 percent decline in pregnancies among teenaged girls
- births among teen girls decreased 35 percent
- teen abortions declined 56 percent between 1988 and 2005
- In 2005
- the U.S. teenage pregnancy rate reached its lowest point in more than 30 years
- In 2006:
- the U.S. teenage pregnancy rate increased for the first time in more than a decade, rising 3%
- 750,000 women younger than 20 became pregnant
- about 7% of women (age 15-19) became pregnant
- among all racial and ethnic groups, the teen birthrate reversed its downward trend
- there were 200,420 abortions among 15–19-year-olds
- 27% of pregnancies among 15–19-year-olds
ended in abortion
- In 2007:
- the teen birth rate rose for the second year in a row – about 1 percent (according to a recent U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention study released late last year and published in the Dec. 21, 2009, online edition of Pediatrics)
The Guttmacher Institute Reports
- Kost K, Henshaw S. and Carlin L., U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, 2010, Guttmacher Institute Report.
- Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health, Fact on Teens
Help for Combatting Teen Pregnancy
- Christianity Today – “What Works: Why Teens Choose Purity” – Why Teens Choose Purity
- Crosswalk.com- “Real Solutions to Teen Pregnancy” – Real Solutuions
- Christian Mommies – “Mothers’ Influence on Adolescent Sex – How Being Connected to Your Child Can Promote Abstinence” – Mothers’ Influence
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I must admit that I was surprised to find very few resources on-line for this topic. If you know of any please give us the information in a comment below. Thank you!