For parents who worry their daughters are getting pregnant Saturday night, or their son is becoming an unwitting father, current health statistics are the bearer of good news.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the pregnancy rate for teenagers 15-19 dropped 19 percent from 116.5 percent per 1,000 in 1991 to 94.3 in 1997 ('97 is the most recent year pregnancy rates are available). More recently, in 2001, the birth rate for teenagers 15-19 fell 5 percent from the 2000 rate to 48.5 per 1,000 - a 24 percent decrease from 1990 and a record low for the nation. These numbers are an encouraging sign that in spite of increasing sexual pressures and influences at school and on television, American adolescents are making decisions in a manner that allows parents to sleep easier.
That's why it's difficult to understand President Bush's continued and unwavering support for abstinence-only education programs. There are no existing studies demonstrating this type of sex education works. In the president's home state of Texas, where Bush mandated the program statewide, the results are discouraging. Texas has the second highest teen birth rate in the nation and teen pregnancy rates are above the national average, the latest available numbers for both statistics show. Yet the president continues to throw money at abstinence-only education, doubling funding for the program in his recent welfare reform proposal. The president doesn't display any comparable support of this kind for other programs that are not purely abstinence-only.
And while there are no studies demonstrating a clear link between declining teen pregnancy rates and dissemination of medically accurate information about contraceptives, teaching young people about safe sex hasn't made the problem worse. More likely, a decrease in teen pregnancies in conjunction with more widely circulated information has had a positive effect.
In a country that prides itself in the pursuit of knowledge, President Bush, contrary to his education initiative slogans, is leaving many children behind. However strongly the president feels morally on this controversial issue, empowering the nation's young people to make appropriate decisions based on all available information should come before adhering to a holier than thou policy on principle.
The opportunity to learn about birth control the last 10 years has America's teenagers headed in the right direction. So pushing for abstinence-only education nationwide is likely to increase abstinence, but not the kind the president wants. Rather, pursuing the program will produce abstinence from information that teenagers need to make educated decisions. Such a scenario is likely to yield ill-informed decisions that will see more of America's young women expecting. That is the antithesis of what the president wishes, but should he continue to advocate abstinence-only education, he can expect just that.
Mike Spector can be reached at mspector@jhunewsletter.com
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