(This chart was made using CDC figures from their latest report on births in U.S.)There is more evidence now that real medical-accurate sex education works to prevent teen pregnancies -- and works far better than the religiously-driven abstinence-only programs. The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) has released its report of births in the United States (2011). And the information about teen pregnancies is particularly interesting.
The teen pregnancy rate for the country as a whole dropped from 34.2 in 2010 (per 1,000 girls) to a rate of 31.3 in 2011. The rate dropped in nearly every state, but it has dropped the most (and remains the lowest) in those states that provide real sex education to students.
An excellent example of this is what has been accomplished in California. That state has seen its teen pregnancy rate drop about 60% -- from a high in 1991 of 70.9, to a current rate of 28.7 (below the national average). State officials and public health officials give credit to state laws mandating comprehensive sex education with medically-accurate information on birth control, and community-based family planning programs providing resources to teens. California is definitely moving in the right direction.
That's still not as low as some other states (like New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont -- who have the lowest rates in the nation), but it is a remarkable accomplishment for such a large state -- and it shows what can be done with some reasonable state effort. I expect the rate will continue to drop there.
Meanwhile, the states mandating abstinence-only religious programs continue to have the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the nation -- states like Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Mississippi, and Arkansas. There is no reason these states couldn't do as well (or better) than California. But they will never do it by preaching abstinence-only instead of teaching real medical-accurate sex education.
We can do even better in this country. But we'll never do much better until we stop replacing science with religion in too many of our schools. We need to trust our young people enough to teach them the truth.
