Teen Birth Rates Down, But is Every FL Teen Getting the Facts?
Posted September 18, 2013 08:50 am
TALAHASSEE, FL –
Teen birth rates in Florida and around the nation have
dropped to historic lows, according to new Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention figures. In Florida,
today's teen birth rate is less than half of what it was
in 1993.
More teens are delaying sex and more are using contraceptives, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
Paula Gianino, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, said she is encouraged by the numbers but notes that the trend doesn't apply in all areas.
"We
see in both rural and urban areas of low socioeconomic
status, high rates of teen pregnancy and teen
childbirth," she said.
One way to keep teen pregnancy rates low is for parents
to talk frankly to their children about sex, Gianino
said. In families that use positive communication, she
said, youths are more likely to make responsible and
healthy choices.
Teens are inundated with sexual messages in the media
and among friends, she said, although many in Florida do
not get comprehensive and scientific information about
sexuality and reproduction.
Links:
•
Teen Pregnancy - CDC
•
Advocates for Youth
•
Sex
Ed - Honestly
• Planned Parenthood
"The majority of teens can graduate in this state
without receiving any sexual-health education at all,"
she said, "Schools leave it out because they believe
it's too 'controversial.' "
Florida schools are required by law to stress abstinence
as part of sex education, which the state refers to as
"life-management skills."
Many organizations in Florida and around the nation
offer information to parents on how to speak to their
children about sex. They stress that it should be more
than a one-time talk, but rather ongoing and
age-appropriate information on topics from how pregnancy
occurs to how to treat other people with respect.
Gianino said she agreed that, in these discussions,
parents need to take the lead.
"When we can increase communication in the home, teens
feel more supported and they just do better," she said,
"not only around sexual decision making but a whole host
of other issues."
Nationwide, according to the CDC, teen birth rates
dropped 6 percent in 2012, to 29 births per 1,000. The
report found that teen birth rates varied by ethnicity,
with the highest rate for Hispanic and African-American
teens and the lowest rate for Asians.
Photos and links added by the Observer