Women who abstain until their 20s — and who have fewer partners in their lifetimes — may have certain health advantages over women who do not. They are less likely to get STDs. Because they are less likely to get an STD, they are also less likely to become infertile or develop cervical cancer.
Teen pregnancy is a really bad idea. It is dangerous to the mother as well as the child. When teens are seeking abortion they should be given special consideration and not shown ultrasounds to change their minds. Either we value an adult as a mother or we don't and to believe showing a young impressable teen an ultrasound is in her best interest is completely and utterly bizarre. The subject of teen pregnancy is the issue, not the allowance of emergency contraception to hide the statistics and deny the problem and damage done to young women.
The pregnancy rate among 15-to-19-year-olds (click title to entry - thank you) increased 3 percent between 2005 and 2006 -- the first jump since 1990, according to an analysis of the most recent data collected by the federal government and the nation's leading reproductive-health think tank....
..."It could be a lot of things coming together," said Rebecca Maynard, a professor of economics and social policy at the University of Pennsylvania. "It could be we just bottomed out, and whenever you are at the bottom, it tends to wiggle around. This may or may not be a sustained rise."...
Abstinence is the absolute best venue for any person not inclined to start a family, however, is it realistic? No. Young people's desire is real and they will experiement with it. Will they cause themselves hardship over the fact they have experimented with their sexuality? Yes. But, that hardship has to be mediated by a society intent on providing 'life skill' guidance to make well educated choices. The USA should actively engage the topic of sexual maturity and how best to approach those decisions when they present themselves. Deciding to carry a pregnancy to term is a monumental decision that is life changing and all options have to be before the individual at any age. I do not approve of teen pregnancy and never will. I don't find it 'simply darling' that a young woman decided to have a baby. I sincerely believe it is the worst decision she could make.
