Congratulations, Texas! After a lot of hard work and many long nights, we're number one in the nation for repeat teen births. According to the Centers for Disease Control, which released a new report on April 2, in 2010, 22 percent of Texas teenagers aged 15-19 who gave birth were delivering their second (or third, or fourth) child. We even beat Mississippi, which came in second, and way outpaced those underachievers in New Hampshire, which has the lowest rate of repeat teen birth in the nation (less than 10 percent of their delivering teens had already given birth before).
So, who and what do we have to thank for this stunning achievement? Let's just list 'em off.
Abstinence-only sex education: A little background: States with abstinence-only sex education policies have long been found to have the highest rates of teen pregnancy. According to the CDC, only 29 percent of Texas schools teach "four key topics related to condom use." A 2009 report from the Texas Freedom Network (TFN) found that most school districts in Texas teach some form of abstinence-only education. Those districts, and even some that teach "abstinence-plus" sex ed, are guilty of "downplaying the effectiveness of condoms in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases," the report said.
One of the state's health textbooks, Essentials of Health and Wellness, mentions the word "condom" once, according to the TFN report. The other three approved health textbooks never use that word at all. And if they're not discussing condoms, you better believe most Texas school districts aren't discussing birth control pills, IUDs, or any other pregnancy prevention method besides "cross your legs and think of your eternal salvation."
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