LifeNews.com 7/14/08
Washington, DC
Washington, DC
The number of teen pregnancies rose last year for the first time in 15 years, according to the National Institutes of Health. The new numbers follow the decisions of several states over the last couple of years to refuse the federal abstinence education funding the government sends to states. The number also follow new figures in January showing the number of abortions declining to their lowest levels since the year after Roe v. Wade as more teenagers keep their babies or give them up for adoptions than kill them in abortions. The report also comes after a spate of high-profile teen pregnancies: that of 17-year-old TV star Jamie Lynn Spears, who recently gave birth to a daughter, as well as the pregnancies of numerous students at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts. Federal health experts said they don't know why the teen pregnancy numbers went up from 2005 to 2006, and that not enough data have been collected to say whether it's a trend. Pregnant teens aged 15 to 19 are less likely to get prenatal care and gain appropriate weight, experts say. They are also more likely smoke than pregnant women aged 20 years or older. Teen pregnancy is "one of the key indicators for the health of the teen population because it not only reflects their health at this point, but it reflects their health and well-being for the next 20 to 40 years," Sondik said.
No comments:
Post a Comment