The Washington Post published an article by Ariana Eunjung Cha examining the teen birth rate in the United States. The recent statistics posted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed a decline in the number of teen births since 2006. White teens showed a decrease by about 8 percent, and Hispanic and Black teen pregnancies dropped to almost 50 percent since 2006. The article discusses what experts believe to be the two major causes for such a dramatic change. First and foremost, teens and women in general have easier access to contraception than in recent years. There have also been many advancements in contraception such as IUDs, which can last as long as five years and have been proven more consistently effective than oral contraception. Secondly, and to much surprise, teens are generally having less sex. The social norms of sustaining from sex in one's teen years have changed. Not having sex until after high school is now becoming more accepted. Unfortunately, the article also reveals higher teen birth rates within areas of higher unemployment, lower average income and fewer education opportunities.
As a Texas resident, I was startled to learn that the teen birth rate is higher in Texas than the national average, with 14 more births per 1,000 females between 15 and 19 years old. The PDF file created by The Texas Freedom Network revealed that Texas was third in the nation for highest teen pregnancies. According to the PDF, in 2010 over 75 percent of high schools taught abstinence-only education that left students uneducated in the realm of contraception. Some programs even condemned the use of contraceptives such as condoms. I'm no professional in the matter, but I can assume that abstinence-only education and high teen birth rates may be related. While Texas is in the Bible belt and it is understandable that parents would prefer their children to remain abstinent until marriage, the statistics show that kids don't always honor the desires of their parents. Even with the decline, teen birth rates are still exceptionally high.
While it's frowned upon by many religions to use contraceptives in Texas, here lies the problem: if we put the high teen birth rates in Texas and higher birth rate statistics in lower income areas in conversation with one another, we see a disparaging picture. We find that the problem is circular within these lower income communities. Having the inability to fully provide for a child leaves the child at a disadvantage later in his or her life. As a nation I believe we need to think progressively on the matter. With the statistics showing an improvement in how younger generations are consciously thinking about not having children, we as a nation can see a light at the end of the tunnel. But the facts show that it is not just social norms changing but the fact that birth control has become more accessible. This being the case, I think that it is most beneficial to provide teens with options in the ways that they think about sex.
