Teenage pregnancies and the battle to end them...

[K9soul]

What if the poster had used the word smiled instead of laughed ?

I probably wouldn't have thought as much of it. It wouldn't be the first time I've taken something too much to heart, however I just felt it was an unnecessary comment to make, and when I read it over, I still tend to get the feeling it was not really meant in a kindly manner. Again, I could be wrong, and I apologize if I am. I don't like singling anyone out and I sure try not to jump to conclusions but this time it hit a nerve in me.

[catnapper]

Oy, what a debate. A month ago my answer might have been different than it is today - as you know, my 18 year old step daughter is pregnant... she turned 18 last month.

As a parent, I know we talked about sex. We talked about what happens with sex. We talked til blue in our faces about disease, poregnancy, and other issues that might pop up over teenage sex... but ya know what? She went and had sex anyway. And you know something else? Its not new! Waaayyy abck in the day of old, girls were married off at sexual maturity (ie: 13) and had many babies before they entered their 20s. My great-great-grandmother had MANY abortions in the early part of this century. Her first was when she was 14. How my grandmother came into the world is a mystery we can't figure out since she did NOT want kids and never tried ot hide that fact, even from her own baby girl

Fast forward to the 60's, 70's. Girls still got married young, but they waited til they graduated highschool. MANY girls DID get pregnant but they disappeared to vacation in some far off land (aka, a special hospital for pregnant girls, only you told your friends about a marvelous trip you took) and then they were forced to give the baby up for adoption. Many had abortions... they either had the baby and gave it up for adoption out of family pressure and life went on as if she never had the kid, or she aborted it (which was done in shame and secrecy).

The 80's came about and AIDS hit. OMG, I remember being in highschool when AIDS hit the world. People were afraid to kiss in cars for fear they'd get AIDS. But did it stop teens from having sex and getting pregnant? NOPE. MY best friend in highschool's cousin had a baby the summer before her senior year. Another friend had 2 abortions. My friend went to a different school to hide her pregnancy and school refused to let her very pregnant belly to walk the halls of school.

The 90's were pretty much the same, but many girls started to let hte pregnant girl attend regular school

Now today.... same old same old. No more girls are getting pregnant than before. If it seems higher, its because
1) there's more people in the world, therefor more girls ot end up pregnant... its still the same percentage
2) its more accepted and no more hiding in shame and secrecy
3) the girls are staying in school and not being forced to attend some secret place where only "bad" and pregnant girls go.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I had said I would not enter into this debate and I won't. I have long said, if I did not have to work for a living, I would help girls and young women see that there is more to life that can be achieved when you wait to have children until you are more settled in life. So I have very strong feelings on the subject.

But I have to question your statement Kim. I do not believe there are no more girls getting pregnant (as a percentage) than in the past. Fear is a very powerful motivator....as is peer pressure and social acceptance. I was in high school and college in the 70's. We knew who got pregnant...who went off to those places you refer to and who had abortions. (Abortions were legal in New York in the 70's.)

Anyway....fear of the shame, fear of our parents, fear of social ostracism were powerful motivators in the decision NOT to have sex and if you did NOT to become pregnant.

To say it has always been as it is today.... well, I'd like to see the statistics on that!

[Prairie Purrs]

But I have to question your statement Kim. I do not believe there are no more girls getting pregnant (as a percentage) than in the past. Fear is a very powerful motivator....as is peer pressure and social acceptance. I was in high school and college in the 70's. We knew who got pregnant...who went off to those places you refer to and who had abortions. (Abortions were legal in New York in the 70's.)

To say it has always been as it is today.... well, I'd like to see the statistics on that!

Surprisingly enough, according to statistics at the Center for Disease Control site, the rate for pregancies among teenagers ages 15 to 17 is declining--and was lower in 2000 than in 1976: Link

"Since 1990, pregnancy rates have declined substantially for teenagers aged 15--17 years. From 1990 to 2000, the pregnancy rate decreased 33%, from 80.3 per 1,000 females to 53.5, a record low. The birth rate declined 42%, from its peak at 38.6 in 1991 to 22.4 in 2003. The induced abortion rate peaked in 1983 at 30.7 and decreased by more than half to 14.5 by 2000."

[beeniesmom]

Sorry I used the word "laughed".

Next time I'll keep my ignorant observations to myself.

Sorry to have offended anyone. That was not the intention.

Contarily to what you may believe I have a very open mind and respect everyones opinion. I may not agree with some, but that really doesn't mean anything. It's my problem.

I have visited and lived in many countries (US, Italy, Japan, Egypt) for months and even years at a time so I know how people of different cultures live and most importantly "why".