It’s everywhere-sex, that is-even in deodorant ads, and a few minutes in the company of Justin Timberlake singing about bringing sexy back is enough to make most parents cringe. Even Miley Cyrus has joined in with her new edgy “Can’t Be Tamed” video-and a lot of 12-year-olds are watching.
Not surprising, then, that abstinence programs falter, and that, for the first time since 1990, the number of teen pregnancies rose in 2006. Teen abortions, too.
Nationally, for every 1,000 births, 71.5 of them are born to a teen, 15 to 19 years of age.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania can’t claim any bragging rights. Of the commonwealth’s 67 counties, Dauphin County leads the pack with teen pregnancy rates per 1,000 set at 58.5%; Montgomery County comes in 53rd with 27.6%
Says The National Campaign, “Teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among young adults is at the root of a number of important public health and social challenges.”
And the cost is high–as much as $389 million for Pennsylvania taxpayers alone. Here’s the breakdown:
• $68 million for public health care (Medicaid and SCHIP)
• $168 million for child welfare
• $87 million for incarceration
• $93 million in lost tax revenue due to decreased earnings and spending
No wonder that the Obama administration launched a $114 million Teen Pregnancy Prevention initiative in its 2010 Health and Human Services Budget
Apparently it’s money well spent. A recent University of Iowa and University of Northern Iowa found that for every tax dollar spent on programs and clinics that help prevent unintended pregnancies, $3.78 is saved the very first year in health care, child care, and welfare costs.
And that’s all well and good, as are the sex education programs health teachers provide in our schools, but the real power is with parents. You’re the first line of defense, so have the talk, even if it’s discomfiting–and not just with your daughter. Sons need to hear it, too. Bring it up whenever, maybe even while doing the dishes together.
Don’t put it off. There’s a growing “anything but intercourse” attitude among our young people, coupled with increasing pressure to perform, so this requires a whole lot more than a light, once-only chat about the birds and the bees.
Our kids are becoming increasingly promiscuous, with about 50% of the nation’s teenagers already engaging in intercourse-nearly 10% by age 13.
Says body.com, “Adolescents now moving through middle and senior high schools have redefined words like abstinence and intercourse, embracing an increasingly casual attitude toward oral sex. In fact, many teens say they believe oral sex is not sex at all.”
It’s, therefore, imperative that you step in and speak up, addressing everything from abstinence and contraception to intercourse, oral sex, STD’s, and the consequences of an unwanted pregnancy. After all, you want to be the first person your child turns to with concerns and questions, not the last. To support your efforts, most local family services centers offer parent education groups, so consider signing up.
