Last month, when 16-year-old Nickelodeon star Jamie Lynn Spears announced she was 12 weeks pregnant, the media was quick to point a finger at her 19-year-old boyfriend, her mother and her pop star trainwreck older sister, Britney Spears.
However, Jamie Lynn is just one of many teenagers facing motherhood. In 2006, the birthrate among teenagers ages 15 to 19 rose for the first time since 1991, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The federal government spends $176 million annually on its abstinence-only education program, which some medical professionals say fails to educate teens fully on the consequences of sex. The program, combined with a lack of communication between young people and adults on the topic of sex, led to a 3 percent rise in the teen birth rate in 2006.
A WEEK LATE, AND A WEEK TO WAIT
For 19-year-old Carrie Dennet, a University of Evansville freshman, awaiting test results this week to reveal whether or not she is pregnant, information is important.
Dennett said if she had been properly educated on the risks and responsibilities related to engaging in sexual activity at a young age, she might not have found herself in this position today.
“To tell a teenager to simply abstain…isn’t going to do any good,” said Dennett. “It’s only going to seem like something is being held out of their reach by those in charge of them.”
Like most young women her age, with or without child, Dennett said she needs information and support– not another lecture on abstinence. She said she doesn’t want another set of hands pointing her in a specific direction– that’s what her parents are for–.instead, she would rather see the government invest in campaigns and programs designed to educating her peers of the responsibilities that come with the decisions kids are making.
“Since most teens are going to experiment anyway, I would rather see someone preaching about family planning or safe sex or protection,” said Dennett. “Personally, I blocked out all of the people in my life that told me that I shouldn’t be having sex. My body is the one thing that I am in control of. That’s how most teens think.”
TEENAGE PREGNANCY:THE EPIDEMIC
In 2006, the teen birthrate in the United States rose by 3 percent, according to the CDC.
“Teen pregnancy is a public health epidemic in this country,” said Lisa Dacey, media relations coordinator for the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. “The U.S. holds the dubious distinction of having the highest teen pregnancy rate among the most developed nations.” The U.S.’s teen pregnancy rate is more than nine times that of the Netherlands, according to Dacey, which is why she said she advocates for the government to invest in prevention programs that include information about both abstinence– the current policy– and prevention methods, including “access to affordable birth control and better communication between young people and adults about sex.”
Dacey said while the government has spent more than $1 billion on abstinence-only programs, the policy has “proven to be ineffective at delaying teen sexual activity and preventing unintended pregnancies.”
“These programs are actually forbidden to discuss contraception,” she said, “except to emphasize failure rates. At the same time, young people are faced with cultural contradictions about sex — they are being bombarded with messages in the media, but aren’t learning how to keep themselves safe and healthy with these abstinence-only programs.”
ABSTINENCE ONLY EDUCATION
Under the Bush administration’s current abstinence-only-until-marriage program, states that accept federal funding for sex ed can only teach students about abstaining from sex until marriage, and only refer to methods of contraception when discussing their failure rates. This includes information on Plan B, condoms and other contraceptives and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
Though a 2007 study ordered by Congress showed that middle schoolers who participated in an abstinence-only sex ed program were just as likely to have intercourse as those who did not participate in the program, funding for the program was extended through the end of 2007.
A bill for a revised sex ed program called the Responsible Education About Life Act, or REAL, is currently before Congress and would provide federal funding for a comprehensive sex ed program that includes information on both abstinence and contraception. At the moment, states that reject the abstinence-only program do not receive federal funding. Massachusetts is among the 15 states that do not participate in the program.
WHAT’S IN A NUMBER?
While statistics show teen birthrates have increased, it is impossible to tell how many unplanned pregnancies have been terminated, said Teri Aronowitz, a family nurse practitioner at Boston University Student Health Services.
“The number on unplanned pregnancies is probably much higher than what is suggested by the birth rates,” Aronowitz said. “This is alerting to think about, particularly in the context of the lack of sexual health education, because of the potential increase in sexually transmitted infections — including HIV — in the future.”
Prior to the rise of teen birth rates in 2006, the number had been what Aronowitz calls “historically low…predating the federal government’s major investment in abstinence-only until marriage sex ed programs.”
While Aronowitz said it would be difficult to estimate how the lack of formal sexual education affects the student population at BU, she said SHS is available to help students with sexual health issues such as birth control options, testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, and decision-making and care in the case of an unplanned pregnancy.
CAMPAIGN CONVERSATIONS
With a new face in the Oval Office starting 2009, the days of abstinence-only education may be numbered. Presidential hopefuls such as Hillary Clinton have been campaigning for a change in sex ed policy.
On the campaign trail, Clinton has spoken about the declining birth rate during her husband’s presidency from 1992 to 2000, when she said he approached sex education with a focus on family planning.
Alissa Bachner, president of the student group BU for Hillary, said she hopes having a woman in the White House will bring attention to sex ed and other women’s rights issues.
“I think that the current administration’s policy is extremely detrimental and is in need of change,” the College of Communication senior said.
“Abortion and sex education are not hot button issues in this election,” she said, “at least yet in the primaries, because democrats are largely in agreement. It may be more of an issue in campaigning for the general election. The presence of [Rudy] Guiliani, who is pro-choice as a Republican candidate, also adds an interesting turn.” University of Michigan senior Mitchell Meyle is an active member of the group HillBlazers for Hillary Clinton, said the White House has a great influence over the number of teenage pregnancies in the U.S.
“I personally think of the abstinence-only policy as a nice idea,” Meyle said in an email, “but really not an effective way of teaching our children about sexual education. My preference is to acknowledge that kids are going to have sex, more likely than not, before marriage. This is the society we are living in today…you are doing yourself no good to pretend that your child will simply abstain when all of his/her friends are engaging.
“There is a natural curiosity to engage, and I feel it is best to offset the risk…by telling our kids how best to protect themselves and informing them that their decisions in this matter do indeed have consequences,” Meyle continued.
PAPA DON’T PREACH
Yet, despite their schooling, abstinence focused education or otherwise, most young people will still maintain that invincible mentality. For this reason, there will always be a number of teen moms no matter what approach the government takes in educating the nation’s youth.
“A lot of teens have the theory that it’ll never happen to them,” said Kinsey Lawrence, a 17-year-old senior at Franklin High School in Portland, Oregon who is currently expecting her second child.
While Lawrence said it’s difficult to raise a child with another on the way at only 17, she wouldn’t change her life for anything.
“It’s hard sometimes, when I just want to give up. I think about going back in time and taking it back, but then I see [my son] smile, and I know it’s all worth it,” said Lawrence. “I would do this again. In fact, I am.”