US teen birth rate still far higher than W. Europe (contraceptive use)

[Still a Democrat]

The rate of teen births in the U.S. is at its lowest level in almost 70 years. Yet, the sobering context is that the teen pregnancy rate is far lower in many other countries. The most convincing explanation is that contraceptive use is much higher among teens in most Western European countries.

...

The teen birth rate for Western Europe and a few other countries is dramatically lower. In the United Kingdom it's 24 per 1,000 girls. In traditionally Catholic Ireland, it's 16 and in Italy it's 5. France's rate is 7 per 1,000. Canada's rate is under 13, Sweden's is under 8, Japan's is about 5, and in the Netherlands it's close to 4.

The disparity has existed for decades. Several experts say the reason mostly has to do with more realistic approaches to birth control.

Birth control is less expensive and easier for teens to get in many other developed countries than in the United States. And teachers, parents and physicians tend to be more accepting of teenage sexuality and more likely to encourage use of contraception, said Sarah Brown, chief executive of the Washington, D.C.-based National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/30/AR2010123002716.html

[givemebackmycountry]

1. So I take it that "Purity Balls" are not all that popular in those countries.

"Birth control is less expensive and easier for teens to get in many other developed countries than in the United States. And teachers, parents and physicians tend to be more accepting of teenage sexuality and more likely to encourage use of contraception, said Sarah Brown, chief executive of the Washington, D.C.-based National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy".

Well we certainly can't have that here.
The invisible cloud being might disapprove.

[MedicalAdmin]

14. Purity balls - shudder.

"Mama, why is daddy looking at me like that?"

"Don't worry baby, he's just gonna be checkin' yur purity later tonight so make sure you get all gussied up and pretified."

[madrchsod]

2. that really is pathetic.....

i know of to many teens who are or were pregnant.

[Odin2005]

5. my 17yo cousin is pregnant.

And her family is telling her how great of a mommy she will be, the idea of abortion is unthinkable, given that most people in rural NW Minnesota are anti-choice.

[madrchsod]

7. i hope she a lot of family support...

i know of a lot of young girls that run out of support when their kids get older.

[Odin2005]

3. Religion sucks.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. who could have expected this?

[mudplanet]

6. Yes but thier parents have the luxury of knowing they are righteous

You've got your priorities all screwed up

[applegrove]

8. They have better access to healthcare in other countries.

[xynthee]

9. 39 per 1,000 in the US n/t

[cali]

11. but it varies considerably from state to state/ region to region.

[Liquorice]

10. I think a lot of it is cultural differences. When you compare the

teen birth rates for white teenagers in America it is the same as the UK, 25 out of 1,000 births. It is much higher among US black teens where, according to that article, the numbers are 59 out of 1,000 births, and among Hispanics it is even higher at 70 out of 1,000. I don't know the pregnancy rate for Asian teens in America because that wasn't listed in the article, but I bet it's much lower than any of the others. There are significant cultural differences in America, and so it's hard to compare us with Western Europe.

[Hannah Bell]

12. and yet 3% of Brits are black. You may have missed the part about US rates of teen birth

being similar to Romania's: a country which has a negligible black population but high poverty.

Also the bit about the teen birth rate in the US being at its lowest level ever (& this is true for US minority groups as well, except perhap Spanish speakers, a large % of whom are recent immigrants from rural backgrounds).

Poor people & poor minority groups in every urbanized country tend to have more children: historically & geographically.

The "culture" you refer to is the "culture" of poverty.

[Warren Stupidity]

13. we have deliberately failed at sex education

We have allowed the religious loons to control this issue. Only around 70% of schools provide any sex education programs and around 85% of those programs confuse our children with abstinence misinformation.

We basically failed our children on this issue.