I conducted an audio interview this week with Bill Albert, the deputy director with the Washington-based The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. This is particularly timely because the organization just released a study, “Emerging Answers 2007,” that explores which sex education programs are most effective for preventing teen pregnancy, among other things. You can also view my previous, related post, about the study’s findings.

Listen: Teen pregnancy audio interview

I’ve also posted a full transcript of the interview, which includes additional questions that didn’t make it into the edited audio file.

Colorado recently failed to renew its request for Title V funding, federal funds that must be used for abstinence-only sex education.  Although Title V has been controversial and other states have denied the funding after some studies found abstinence-only sex education are not necessarily more effective and sometimes have no impact, Colorado says it ended the funding because of bureaucratic, not philosophical, reasons.

According to the RHRealityCheck.org blog, Dr. Ned Calonge, Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment’s chief medical officer, acknowledged that the health department’s conclusion was influenced by the ongoing battle on Capitol Hill over the continuation of Title V.  But Calonge holds that they “just made the decision not to reapply [for the funding].”

The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States applauded the decision, calling Colorado the 13th state to reject the funds.  Why do you think Colorado failed to renew its application for Title V funds? Who do you believe?

“Emerging Answers 2007,” a study released this week by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, found that abstinence-only education is unproven for stopping teen sex, while programs that both discuss contraceptives and urge teens to wait have better track records, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Many studies have shown that combining the abstinence message with explicit discussions of birth control “is a realistic, effective approach that does not appear to confuse young people,” Dr. Kirby [a researcher for the study] said in a report for a nonpartisan group that tries to reduce teen pregnancies.

In his review, Dr. Kirby said, “Two-thirds of the 48 comprehensive programs that supported both abstinence and the use of condoms and contraceptives for sexually active teens had positive behavioral effects,” such as delaying the start of sexual activity and increasing use of condoms or other birth control.

But not everyone agrees. According to the article, Kyleen Wright of Mansfield, president of the Irving-based Texans for Life Coalition, said that contraception instruction was tried in the schools in the 1980s and didn’t work.

Continue Reading »

Despite the overall slowing of teen birth rates in the U.S., Texas has made less headway and leads the nation in teen pregnancy rates, according to a Dallas Morning News article.

The article reports that the non-profit group, Child Trends, conferred another No. 1 ranking on Texas.

In the latest statistics available, 24 percent of the state’s teen births in 2004 were not the girl’s first delivery.

“That astounded me,” said Kathryn Allen, senior vice president for community relations at Planned Parenthood of North Texas. “I mean, what are we doing wrong?”

The article says experts are questioning the Texas policy of denying contraceptives without parental consent wherever possible and pushing an abstinence-only sex education program in public schools.

The article compares Texas with California, both of which share fast-growing immigrant populations who are “especially at risk of teen childbearing.”   California schools also teach abstinence, but unlike Texas schools, also explain contraception.

While the teen birth rate in Texas dropped by 19 percent from 1991 to 2004, California’s rate dropped by 47 percent in the same period.  The nationwide rate dipped by one-third. 

You can view some readers’ reactions.  You can also view the press release and research brief (”Repeat Teen Childbearing:  Differences Across States and By Race and Ethnicity”) by Child Trends that describes the organization’s findings.