Post | 08/28/2008 5:30 pm

Teen Pregnancies Are On the Rise. Who's to Blame?

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
© Shutterstock

Teen pregnancy rates rose in the U.S., according to a government report released last month, and now doctors, teachers, parents and, of course, girls and boys need to take notice. The National Center for Health Statistics’ recent report found that teen pregnancy rates increased from 21 births per 1,000 teenage girls in 2005 to 22 per 1,000 in 2006, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

Though small, it’s the first increase in teen pregnancy rates since they began dropping from a peak in 1991.

And according to WebMD, researchers say they’re not really sure why the rates went up.

"It’s only one year. And it might be, to use a very technical term, a blip in the data," said Edward J. Sondik, PhD, director of the National Center for Health Statistics, a CDC division that compiles national data on children’s health and well-being each year.

Meanwhile pediatrician and Washington Post columnist Dr. Meg Meeker said that Hollywood should take part of the blame for the glamorization of teen pregnancy. Jamie-Lynn Spears and her baby recently graced the cover of US Weekly, "championing it to bored and confused girls as a ready solution to many of life’s ills," Meeker points out.

She also writes, "After all, swollen bellies bring attention — usually in the form of oohs and ahhs — if not a bit of pity. The problem is, young girls don’t care which type of attention follows, they just relish whatever they can get, because most know too well that life without it is far too painful to bear."

Meeker also suggests that U.S. schools should spend more money on sex education, and that doctors need to encourage the use of safe-sex contraceptives.

The final party that needs to take notice: parents.

"It is high time that we adults face the music," Meeker writes. "We can no longer allow two critical mistakes to continue. First, we must stop the denigration of boys everywhere. They matter. Their thoughts, opinions and everything masculine about them matters tremendously. It isn’t just the girls and babies who count. Second, we cannot continue to allow kids to raise themselves while we live life around them, hoping that a few conversations about safer sex will suffice to keep them from having babies. We must give them more of our time and ourselves."

Clich here to read her Washington Post column in its entirety.

Click here for some of the most recent statistics of teen birth rates. 

Read more about: Health, News, Pregnancy, Sex

26 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Frank Peterson
It’s gonna happen unfortunately and sex begins a lot earlier than it used too—every teen rave club out to be required to have jars of condoms free for the talking—other than education and parents what can be done?
By Frank Peterson on 08/28/2008 4:55 pm
Linda Clark
The State of Texas has found that Nueces County, the county I reside in, has the fasted rate of teenage pregnancy in the state. The city I live in is also the County Seat, population nearing 300,000. My opinion on this subject may agitate most everyone who reads it. I have lived here long enough to raise my son from birth to present (he’s 26), volunteered in the public school system for 10 years during my son’s school years ………. At issue, is the lack of parental involvement, and I’m not referring to a lack involvement regarding school work or even academics in general. Of the parents who are now grandparents, 53% are ranging in ages between 29 - 34, it’s mind-boggling! These young grandparents routinely voice their opinions at district meetings and in the local media …… They believe the teenage pregnancy crisis falls solely on the school district! That because the school district has more contact time with their children, the district and the teachers have failed in teaching their students about personal responsibility and safe sex. They have further stated the district should be held financial accountable for childcare should their students remain in school through graduation after giving birth. And don’t assume that this only coming from disadvantaged or impoverished families. It is a prevalent issue at all five of our high schools and four of our middle schools. Three of those four middle schools are on our cities South Side which is considered to be “wealthy-folks” side of town!
By Linda Clark on 08/28/2008 5:21 pm
Mugsy Peabody
Keep on eating those Wheaties, Linda!
By Mugsy Peabody on 08/30/2008 3:51 pm
Bonnie Oliver
Who is to blame for the rise in teenage pregnancy? Whom do you think? The teenagers, of course. Of course, parental involvement and teaching are of paramount importance. Unless we are talking about pregnancies of girls who are 13 and 14, then the teenage girl is aware of the danger of pregnancy. Why doesn’t she protect herself? I think that is a better question. It would be only fair if we could equally blame the teenage boy. Oh, he is one-half to blame but since he is does not become pregnant, he is rarely considered a “victim”. The agencies are now going after the young men when they become older and are in the workforce to attach their wages for child support. And that is a good thing because this action just might scare a young man to such an extent that he will practice safe sex. But what about the pregnant teenager. Why didn’t she protect herself? She is often coerced no doubt. Some girls even want a child and a way out of their current home-life. The desire to be “grown-up”? The cost of a condom? Probably all of these answers and a few more. Teenagers are inexplicable - always have been and always will be.
By Bonnie Oliver on 08/28/2008 5:38 pm
Bella Mia
There is nothing new under the son. Parents need to structure the time the children will be alone. If teenagers are not left alone with the opposite sex, then they can’t pro-create. But that requires activities in which parents are home or present, or school functions like dances. In our district - the school has made it impossible to have dances - tons and tons of red tape. Parents can demand group dates at 16-18, and nothing sooner. If a parent has to work after school between 3-6 then the student needs to be supervised - that is a reality - a given - non-negotiable. Otherwise the parent opens the door to a pregnancy. Our modern culture has so devalued marriage, and it’s importance relative to sex and babies, that it is hard to put the genie back in the bottle for many social groups. However, some groups are doing well in the statistics and those strategies they use should be promoted to the others.
By Bella Mia on 08/28/2008 6:33 pm
HA BIBI
I’d guess there’s a whole lot of absentism on the part of the parents. So many of the parents today are more concerned about being the childs friend as opposed to being present and responsible for the proper upbringing of their children. Or they find it easier to buy the kids off rather than invest the necessary time and communication with them, including how not to end up in such a predicament. I believe very few a percentage of young women are getting pregnant for “faddish” reasons. I do agree completely that underlying the whole debacle…Is these girls are definately starved for attention as something is greatly missing in their lives.
By HA BIBI on 08/28/2008 7:02 pm
siasp surate
What really bothers me about young teen girls or guys in hollywood having babies is that they make it look really easy. For them,yes, it is easy because they have the money but a teen parent who is not of the same economic status as the celebrities on tv having a baby at a young age can seriously jeopardise their future. However, I don’t think we can blame this rise on tv.
By siasp surate on 08/28/2008 11:25 pm
K O
Blame? Not a productive enterprise, in my view. The pertinent question is, “What can we do to help teen-age pregnancy decline?”
By K O on 08/28/2008 11:36 pm
Chrome Toe
I think there’s a whole lot of reasons as to why. some of them simply have to do with how we’ve overtly sexualized kids in the media in the last 15 years or so. But that’s a small piece. I would like to comment however that on another thread I talked about this antichoice activist who has got millions of dollars in federal grant money to teach abstinence in schools… ummm apparently it aint workin.
By Chrome Toe on 08/29/2008 12:48 am
im p
honeychil’ What your side of the issue has proposed over the years ain’t workin’ either. Kitty’s question is the one to concentrate on.
By im p on 08/29/2008 1:19 am
Mugsy Peabody
Who’s to blame? How about all the people who refuse to give kids proper information about birth control and access to birth control? This telling 21st century teenagers to “abstain” is such irresponsible horse manure I can’t even get started….
By Mugsy Peabody on 08/29/2008 6:36 am
Diana T
Mugsy, You said so much in a few short words. And, I think it is wrong to place the blame totally and completely on the girls, especially since so many of them are under 15 yrs. of age. They have no future(in their eyes), no parental training or role models, no proper education at all, much less sexual. “Just say no”. Abstinence is a naive folly conceived by well meaning idealogues that don’t have a clue about how the other half lives and how the teenage mind works.
By Diana T on 08/29/2008 12:53 pm
Mugsy Peabody
I’m not sure they “don’t have a clue,” Diana. I think they don’t care. And, judging from the popularity of Asian sex tours and other such nonsense, the idea that um, there’s no polite word for it, screwing young teenagers actually is a good thing to do. So if the “boys will be boys” attitude prevails, guess who gets pregnant? But that’s okay… because…. Um, I forget why that’s okay. Can someone help me out here?
By Mugsy Peabody on 08/29/2008 5:04 pm
Amanda Slagle
As long as society is pointing fingers nothing is going to change. Kids will still think of themselves as invincible, adults will still think their children are saints, and educators will be left without the resources to do anything. Here, I’ll start. I take the blame and I promise to have a real discussion with my children by the time they are 12. I promise to have that discussion in a doctors office with tons and tons of pictures of stds and how babies are born. And if I’m not getting through I will find a way and nag on until my kids are so sick of hearing about it. And I’ll call them when I’m away from them for more than an hour. I’ll make it my business to know their business. Whatever it takes.
By Amanda Slagle on 08/29/2008 9:46 am
linda trueblood lambert
My two daughters are 21 and 24 respectively. I was a single mother since they were 10 and 7; their father was and is haphazard in his relationship with the girls. They have done very well through school and have attended excellent colleges and grad schools. They have never been pregnant or in trouble. Why? Because I was willing to monitor their activities and on a regular basis, the bad guy. Their father showed up with ‘things’ but I was there 24/7 handing out the bad news: no belly shirts, no tank tops w/o bras, no inappropriate behavior for young people. Trust me………it can be done. You just have to commit to living through it. and laugh.
By linda trueblood lambert on 08/29/2008 2:32 pm
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