FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
CONTACT:
|
Bill
Barker |
|
April 29, 1999 |
|
(202) 419-3420 |
AGI Finds Teens' Accurate Use of Contraceptives Drives Decreases in Teen Pregnancy Rates
Censored Sexuality Education Hugely Misguided
The Alan Guttmacher Institute's finding today of a continuing
decrease in teen pregnancy rates represents exciting and
welcome news for the country. The report, Teenage Pregnancy:
Overall Trends and State-by-State Information, reflects
what public health science has long shown -- that providing
sexuality education and making a broad range of contraceptives
available for the prevention of teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS
does not encourage early or promiscuous sexual behavior.
The AGI data further indicates that when teens receive the
sexuality information and contraceptive access they need,
they behave responsibly by postponing early sexual activity
and protecting themselves and their partners when they do
become sexually active.
Significantly, AGI attributes 80 percent of the decrease
in teen pregnancy rates since the 1980s to teenagers' accurate
use of more highly effective contraceptive methods, a finding
that underscores the hugely misguided abstinence-until-marriage
approach recently taken by Congress and many state legislatures.
We must continue to provide teens with complete sexuality
education and access to contraceptives. The U.S. still exhibits
the highest rates of teen births in the industrialized world.
The relatively small decline in pregnancy rates among Latina
teens signals the need for far more work with this fast-growing
population. And, Congressional and state policy makers threaten
the current progress with increased efforts to deny confidentiality
to teens seeking contraceptive services and to censoring
sexuality education.
Clearly, there is still much work for the nation to do to
make this reduction in teen pregnancy rates a long-term reality
for all young people, not a short-lived trend.
###
Note
to Editors and Producers: For more information
or to set up an interview with adolescent sexuality experts,
please contact Bill Barker at (202) 419-3420.
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