© 2012 ReferencePoint Press, Inc. Printed in the United States For more information, contact: ReferencePoint Press, Inc. PO Box 27779 San Diego, CA 92198 www.ReferencePointPress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, web distribution, or information storage retrieval systems—without the written permission of the publisher. Picture credits: Cover: iStockphoto.com and Thinkstock/Comstock Maury Aaseng: 31–33, 45–47, 59–61, 74–76 Landov: 17 Dr. P. Marazzi: 12 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Parks, Peggy J., 1951– Teenage sex and pregnancy / by Peggy J. Parks. p. cm. — (Compact research series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-60152-379-2 (e-book) 1. Teenagers—Sexual behavior—Juvenile literature. 2. Teenage pregnancy—Juvenile literature. 3. Sex instruction for children. I. Title. HQ27.P36 2012 306.874’3—dc22 2011012468 Contents Foreword 4 Teenage Sex and Pregnancy at a Glance 6 Overview 8 Is Teenage Sex and Pregnancy a Serious Problem? 20 Primary Source Quotes 27 Facts and Illustrations 30 What Influences Teenagers’ Attitudes Toward Sex and Pregnancy? 34 Primary Source Quotes 41 Facts and Illustrations 44 What Are the Consequences of Teenage Sex and Pregnancy? 48 Primary Source Quotes 55 Facts and Illustrations 58 What Should Be Taught in Sex Education? 62 Primary Source Quotes 70 Facts and Illustrations 73 Key People and Advocacy Groups 78 Chronology 80 Related Organizations 82 For Further Research 86 Source Notes 88 List of Illustrations 91 Index 92 About the Author 96 Foreword “Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” —T.S. Eliot, “The Rock.” A s modern civilization continues to evolve, its ability to create, store, distribute, and access information expands exponentially. The ex- plosion of information from all media continues to increase at a phenomenal rate. By 2020 some experts predict the worldwide informa- tion base will double every 73 days. While access to diverse sources of information and perspectives is paramount to any democratic society, information alone cannot help people gain knowledge and understand- ing. Information must be organized and presented clearly and succinctly in order to be understood. The challenge in the digital age becomes not the creation of information, but how best to sort, organize, enhance, and present information. d r o ReferencePoint Press developed the Compact Research series with this w e challenge of the information age in mind. More than any other subject r o F area today, researching current issues can yield vast, diverse, and unquali- fied information that can be intimidating and overwhelming for even the most advanced and motivated researcher. 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The ancient Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca wrote, “It is quality rather than quantity that matters.” More than just a collection of content, the Compact Research series is simply committed to creating, finding, organizing, and presenting the most relevant and appropriate amount of information on a current topic in a user-friendly style that invites, intrigues, and fosters understanding. 5 Teenage Sex and Pregnancy at a Glance Sex Among Teens A youth risk study published in 2010 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that 46 percent of teenagers have had sex at some point in their lives, and 34 percent are currently sexually active. Declining Teen Sex e c The CDC reports that since 1991 the number of teenagers who have n a ever had sex has declined, as has the number of teens who are currently l G a sexually active. t a y Teen Pregnancy c n a A 2010 report by the Guttmacher Institute showed that teen pregnancies n g e totaled 742,990 in 2006, which is a decrease from nearly 1.2 million in r P 1980. d n a International Comparisons x e S The United States has the highest teen pregnancy and birth rate of all e g a industrialized countries. n e e Sexually Transmitted Diseases T Nearly half of all new cases of STDs reported to the CDC are among teenagers and young adults aged 15 to 24. 6 Teenage Sex and Pregnancy at a Glance Influences Studies have shown that the strongest influences on teen attitudes about sex are parents, religious faith, friends, and the media. Risks to Babies Babies born to teenage mothers have a high risk of being born prema- turely and with low birth weight. Child neglect and abuse are also more common in teen-parented families. Sex Education What to teach teenagers about sex is controversial. Some believe they should only be taught to abstain from sex, while others argue that teens should also be given information about sex and contraception. 7 Overview “Teen sexual activity is costly, not just for teens, but also for society. Teens who engage in sexual activity risk a host of negative outcomes including STD infec- tion, emotional and psychological harm, and out-of- wedlock childbearing.” Christine C. Kim and Robert Rector, research analysts with the Heritage Foundation. “Our philosophy is that sex is a normal, natural part of human relationships, even for teens—provided it’s in the context of a healthy relationship, in which both parties are equally respected, have equal expecta- tions, and are supportive and mindful of each other’s feelings.” Maureen E. Lyon, a clinical psychologist, and Christina Breda Antoniades, a health writer, are coauthors of the book My Teen Has Had Sex: Now What Do I Do? w e i v r W e hen Rachel Coleman thinks about her early teenage years, she v O remembers a fun, carefree time. She often made plans on the spur of the moment, whether it involved going to the movies, grabbing something to eat, or just hanging out with friends. “I guess I was pretty much your average teen,”1 she says. During the summer be- fore her senior year, Coleman began dating a boy whom she knew from high school. Before long they started having sex and did not always use a condom—which was a choice that would drastically change their lives. One day after school started, Coleman became dizzy and passed out 8 Overview in the hallway. Assuming she was just weak from not eating breakfast that morning, she did not give the incident much thought. So, finding out that she was pregnant was a shock, as she explains: “It definitely was not a planned pregnancy and while being sexually active in our relationship, we could have been a lot safer, but we were not.”2 Coleman decided to go ahead with the pregnancy and had a baby boy in 2009. Although she loves her son dearly, she stresses that teenage girls need to be aware of the risks involved before they become sexually active: “If you are not at the point in your life where you are ready to give up your wants and needs for a baby, then you need to do everything to be as safe as possible if you still choose to have sex.”3 Is Teenage Sex and Pregnancy a Serious Problem? In June 2010 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the findings of a survey on the health-risk behaviors of high school students. The study involved more than 16,500 teenagers through- out the United States and included a number of questions about sexual activity. When asked if they had ever had sexual intercourse, 46 percent said yes, and slightly more than one-third said they were sexually active, meaning they had had sex during the “ previous three months. Whether this high frequency of teen sex is a problem The CDC youth is subjective. Many people consider study showed a teenagers too young and immature slight reduction to engage in sexual relations, while in the number of others view sexual activity during the sexually active teen years as normal and natural. But teenagers during as Coleman’s experience shows, hav- the past two de- ing sex poses serious risks, including cades, from 37.5 unplanned pregnancy. percent in 1991 to Despite the high percentage of 34 percent in 2009. teens who engage in sexual activity, ” teen attitudes on this issue appear to be changing. The CDC youth study showed a slight reduction in the number of sexually active teenagers dur- ing the past two decades, from 37.5 percent in 1991 to 34 percent in 2009. Over that same period of time, teen pregnancies have also de- 9 Teenage Sex and Pregnancy clined. According to a January 2010 report by the research and policy or- ganization the Guttmacher Institute, pregnancies among 15- to 19-year- old females in the United States totaled 969,280 in 1991. By 2006 the number had dropped to 742,990, which represents a 30 percent decline in teen pregnancies over the 15-year period. Race and Ethnicity Surveys have clearly shown that teenagers of all races and ethnicities are sexually active, although with some significant differences. According to the CDC youth study, the highest prevalence of sexual activity is found among black teenagers, with 50.3 percent of black males and 45 percent of black females saying they had had sex in the past three months. His- panic males and females have the second highest prevalence, followed by white teens. The CDC also found that black teens were most likely to have multiple sexual partners, with nearly 29 percent saying they had had sex with four or more people, compared with 14.2 percent of Hispanic teens and 10.5 percent of white teens. A particularly striking difference among these groups is the incidence of teen pregnancy, with birth rates for Hispanic and black teenage girls being more than twice as high as those of white teens. The reasons for this disparity are not well understood, although some studies suggest that acceptance of teen births is greater among the black and Hispanic com- munities than among whites. This is the perspective of Karole Lakota, who is a physician in a west Chicago neighborhood where the popula- tion is more than 90 percent black and Hispanic. A large part of Lakota’s medical practice is working with young mothers, many of whom have second and third babies while they are teenagers. She explains: “I’ve seen some mothers almost applaud their teenage daughters when they find out [they’re] pregnant. Others put their teen on birth control at their 12-year-old check-up and just assume their child is sexually active.”4 International Comparisons Although teen pregnancies are at the lowest rate they have ever been since such data have been tracked, the United States still has the highest teen pregnancy rate of all industrialized countries. According to a March 2011 CDC report, the number of US births among 15- to 19-year-old females was 39 per 1,000 in 2009. Comparatively, the United Kingdom has the 10