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• Teen Pregnancies on the Decline

  With reports of a teen pregnancy pact in a Gloucester high school dominating the news, you may be surprised to learn that the teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. is the lowest it’s been in 30 years. The number of pregnancies among women aged 15-19 dropped to 72 per 1,000 teens in 2004, down from a high of 117 per 1,000 teens in 1990. The abortion rate has also declined in the last three decades. But this positive trend may be reversing. Read More... Posted Jun 28 2008, 03:44 PM by Hannah Tennant-Moore with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: abortion, teen pregnancy, abstinence only sex education, Juno, teen mothers, Gloucester, pregnancy pact, teen pregnancies declining, comprehensive sex education, abortion rate, teen pregnancy rate, jamie lyn spears, coolness of teen pregnancy

• Now They Say No: Teens Deny 'Pregnancy Pact'

  Apparently, you folks are interested in the "pregnancy pact" story based on the amout of discussion it’s generated here. It stemmed from a report in Time Magazine that 17 girls from a Gloucester, Mass. High school decided to get pregnant and raise their babies together. My last post on the matter drew huge comments, and I've seen other headlines about the story everywhere (including at the grocery store today, on a supermarket tabloid "We wanted to be like Jamie Lynn"—Pregnancy Pact Girls. Sure.) And now some of the girls who got pregnant this school year are coming forward and saying there was no pact, that it was just chance.  Read More... Posted Jun 27 2008, 06:03 PM by AmyinMotown with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: birth control, media, teen pregnancy, time, stupid, teen pregnancy pact, Gloucester, teen moms

• Baby Borrowers: Bad Idea?

  More than a few commenters on my "pregnancy pact" post suggested that the teens in questions watch "The Baby Borrowers" – a reality show debuting tomorrow night on NBC in which five teenage couples care for, in turn, an infant, toddler, teen and older person. Does this sound like a ginormous trainwreck to anyone else? – and not the VH1-type celeb-reality type trainwreck that's so bad it's almost funny, but an actual horrendously bad idea? First, the idea is to let these teenage couple test out if their relationship can withstand the rigors of parenthood. Hello. I don’t need to have watched a minute of the show to tell you no they can't – and if they can, so what? Read More... Posted Jun 24 2008, 03:03 PM by AmyinMotown with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: teenagers, high school, teen pregnancy, reality TV, bad ideas, high school sweethearts, baby borrowers, pregnancy pact, publicity whores

• Teens Make Pregnancy Pact -- Wha???

  I know teen girls are not always the most rational of people, but, WTF? Apparently a group of 17 girls at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts decided they would make a pregnancy pact with each other. A pregnancy pact. Not, you might think, a "let's not get pregnant and graduate and maybe even go to college" pact, no, this pact was to get pregnant and raise their babies together. None of these girls were older than 16. According to one of the school officials, they noticed something was amiss... Read More... Posted Jun 20 2008, 08:33 AM by AmyinMotown with | with 16 comment(s) Filed under: birth control, teen pregnancy, stupid, teen pregnancy pact, Gloucester, teen moms

• Down with “The Herp”: 1 in 4 New Yorkers Has Herpes

  Hey New Yorkers, I got a fun and quick game for ya. Gather up three of your friends. Now take a good look at the circle of you. One of you has herpes. See, wasn’t that fun? According to  the New York Health Department, over a quarter of the Big Apple’s denizens has got the magic touch. Now you might be saying, “Oh they must be including cold sores as herpes.” Nope, that 26% number is all gential herpes.  This is compared to a national average of…      Read More... Posted Jun 13 2008, 11:00 AM by Cole Gamble with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: condoms, teen pregnancy, New York, abstinence, STDs, safe sex, herpes

• Pregcellent: Who's Having All Those Babies Out of Wedlock?

  I'm going to try and write this without once referring to the movie Juno. (Crap, does that count?) Remember back in the day, when you could easily wax hysterical over the issue of teen pregnancy? When we were freaked about babies having babies? Well, in the U.S. teen pregnancy rates are falling, so it's going to be that much harder to whip ourselves into a lather, and that is good. In 2004, only 12 percent of pregnancies were to teen moms, compared to 15 percent in 1990. Oh, and one likely factor in the drop is the more frequent use of birth control methods. Imagine that.  However, there is another group who are having babies outside of marriage... Read More... Posted Apr 16 2008, 04:35 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, research study, teens, marriage, birth control, moms, teen pregnancy, single mothers, labor, delivery, pregcellent, older moms, twenties

• Teen Fakes Pregnancy

  I've heard of skinny people disguising themselves in fat suits, young people making themselves up as old people, even men cross-dressing - all to find out what it's like to be a member of a discriminated group, maybe to make the public a little more sensitive and a little less judgemental. But I never heard of a teenager pretending to be pregnant for those reasons.   Read More... Posted Apr 14 2008, 07:05 PM by asflutz with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: youtube, teen pregnancy, safe sex, Danica Esau

• Abstinence-Only Sex Ed. Under Fire

  Is it possible that the $113 million a year the Bush administration spends to finance abstinence-only sex ed. might be better spent elsewhere? It’s a shocker, I know, but a recent study in the Journal of Adolescent Health revealed that abstinence-only sex education does not stop teens from having sex: in fact, those who receive comprehensive education are 50 percent less likely to become pregnant than those who go through an abstinence-only program and are 60 percent less likely to become pregnant than those who receive no sex ed. Coming in the wake of a study that revealed that one in four teenage girls has an STI, these findings have refueled the sex ed. debate in Washington, with 76 Democratic lawmakers urging the White House to stop funding abstinence-only programs.   Read More... Posted Mar 26 2008, 12:59 PM by Hannah Tennant-Moore with | with no comments Filed under: sex education, teen pregnancy, teen sexuality, sexually transmitted infections, birds and bees, abstinence only

• 16-Year-Old Girl Gives Birth To Triplets...Um, Again

  Plenty of people get upset about teen pregnancy, and this one makes Jamie Lynn Spears seem relatively chaste by comparison. A 16-year-old in Argentina just gave birth to triplets. Oh, and the mom and babies are doing well, thanks for asking. So why has this caused such a kerfuffle, touching off debates and criticism all over Argentina. Well, um, it isn't her first set of triplets. She had her first baby at age 14... Read More... Posted Feb 23 2008, 09:32 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: Large families, triplets, multiple births, argentina, birth control, teen pregnancy, multiples, family planning, jamie lynn spears, teen mothers

• 2-Foot 9-Inch Woman Survives Pregnancy

  And you thought YOU had run out of room in your ribcage during pregnancy. Christianne Ray survived pregnancy and childbirth despite having a very rare kind of dwarfism, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, which left her at only 2 feet 9 inches tall.   She got pregnant at 19 and panicked, because she and her boyfriend were young. And also because she didn't know whether physically she'd be able to carry a healthy child -- and survive. The first OB/Gyn she saw recommended abortion.   Read More... Posted Feb 08 2008, 09:22 AM by Madeline Holler with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: ABC, teen pregnancy, little mommies, high-risk pregnancy, teenager, teen sex, teenage motherhood, little people, dwarfism

• Maternity Leave from High School

  Thanks to the Family and Medical Leave Act (brought to us by Husband of Hillary) women can take up to twelve weeks off work after the birth or adoption of a child without losing their jobs. It's not paid, so plenty of people can’t afford to take it, and if you're a freelancer like me you're pretty well screwed unless you have understanding clients. But what about school? Some school counselors and pregnant teenagers in the Denver school district are lobbying their local Board of Education to institute a policy of four weeks maternity leave after the birth of a baby. Right now, girls have to be back behind their desks within a day of being discharged from the hospital – so, possibly as little as 36 or so hours after giving birth. Ouch. Predictably, the idea has drawn controversy...   Read More... Posted Jan 10 2008, 06:13 PM by AmyinMotown with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: high school, teen pregnancy, maternity leave, FLMA

• Pregcellent: Looking Beyond Jamie-Lynn To Talk Teen Pregnancy

  I've delighted in talking Jamie-Lynn, Juno and even a little For Keeps in a Holly-goss sort of way like any other savvy, (ahem) oh-so-hip parent these last few weeks. But now, the conversation about teenagers having babies needs to open up a bit. And I think it needs to expand beyond the finger-wagging abstainance talks, the head-shaking birth control questions and the so-sad, so-sad what-can-I-possibly-do discussions that go no further. Read More... Posted Dec 26 2007, 03:57 PM by Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, teen pregnancy, pregcellent, teenage motherhood, new moms inc, jamie-lynn, young mothers

• States Turn Down Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Funds In Favor of Teaching, You Know, Actual Sex Ed

  Federal money for Cold Showers 101 may someday be a thing of the past. More and more states are declaring they will not apply for federal funding for abstinence-only sex education programs, and a couple others have applied but stated they will not stick with the abstinence-only curriculum, therefore rendering themselves ineligible. If you don't think this is a big deal, remember, these states are turning down MONEY--your tax dollars, in fact. That says something. Now why would states say they won't try and get the funds? "The jump in states opting out follows a series of reports questioning the effectiveness of the approach, including one commissioned by Congress that was released earlier this year. In addition, federal health officials reported last week that a 14-year drop in teenage pregnancy rates appeared to have reversed." Great. Oh, but I absolutely loooove the response of supporters of "just say no" sex ed...  Read More... Posted Dec 16 2007, 04:33 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: teens, birth control, sex ed, contraception, teen pregnancy, government, states, abstinence only sex education, STDs, federal funding, tax dollars

• Teen Births on the Rise, Baby

  It hasn't been this good to be the baby of a teen mom in awhile. Yep, since a nice peak in 1991 there's been nothing but an appalling decline of teen parentage, but hey! Teens are finally getting it on! Which means teen births are on the rise. Yeah, baybay! Yep, birth rates to mothers age 15-19 rose 3% last year after 14 years of decline. Aww. Well, not teen births exactly. Teens have already been born, something less than 20 years ago. But their babies. They're the ones being born. You know why?   Read More... Posted Dec 10 2007, 10:36 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, birth, teen pregnancy

• Some Maine 11-Year-Olds Can Get The Pill at School

  I was surprised to read that a middle school in Maine will soon be making contraception available to students. Not just condoms -- but birth control pills and patches. Remember, middle school is grades 6 through 8 and students are typically 11 to 13 years old. Then I was really surprised to read this: Read More... Posted Oct 18 2007, 01:33 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: unplanned pregnancy, teen pregnancy, Madeline Holler, birth control pills, teen sexuality

• Hannah Montana Pregnancy Rumors Quelled, but Not the Ire of Fans

  Mylie Cyrus was rumored to be pregnant, and then those rumors were put to bed, she vowed to stay pure, and we all moved on... but not Miley's fans... who continue to weigh in (in droves) in the Babble comments section... Here are a few choice quotes:   Read More... Posted Oct 14 2007, 02:58 PM by Rachael Brownell (Redsy) with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: teen pregnancy, hannah montana, redsy, fame crawler, mylie cyrus

• Mylie Cyrus Not Pregnant: Vows to 'Stay Pure'

  Mylie Cyrus is my new favorite teen star... And I'll be honest, her father is the only man with a mullet I think is (semi-) hot.  We were all up in arms last week about the terror parents feel about teen pregnancy (she's only 15) so this latest news comes as a great relief... Read More... Posted Sep 27 2007, 04:41 PM by Rachael Brownell (Redsy) with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, teen pregnancy, hannah montana, fame crawler, mylie cyrus, rumors

• 15 Year Old Hannah Montana Pregnant: Mylie Cyrus' Parents (and Our) Worst Nightmare

  As reported yesterday by Famecrawler, Miley Cyrus, the former (last girl standing) good girl of teen actors is reportedly pregnant.  At fifteen. This girl is no Britney Spears (yet).  By all accounts she has a loving, involved family who keeps her out of the usual teen celeb troubles... Until now that is... Read More... Posted Sep 24 2007, 10:34 AM by Rachael Brownell (Redsy) with | with 49 comment(s) Filed under: teen pregnancy, celebriies, miley cyrus, billy ray cyrus, miley cyrus pregnant

• Unplanned Pregnancies Rise With Age

  The good news is teen pregnancies are down. The I-kind-of-don’t-care news is unintended pregnancies for adult women are up. But I might be a little defensive since my first pregnancy, at 31, was a surprise. It’s important, though, to know the numbers and understand the trends, particularly at a time when reproductive rights seem up in the air and access to birth control is legally at the whim of what could be a self-righteous pharmacist. Let’s break it down: Read More... Posted Sep 17 2007, 06:13 PM by Madeline Holler with | with no comments Filed under: birth control, unplanned pregnancy, condoms, teen pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy

• 11-Year Old Girl to be Britain's Youngest Mother

  From The Daily Mail comes this story about a girl who is to become Britain's youngest mother after becoming pregnant at the age of eleven.  Apparently, the girl smokes 20 cigarettes a day despite being eight months' pregnant and conceived when she lost her virginity to a boy of 15 on a drunken night out with friends. Other highlights?  The 15-year-old has since been charged with rape.  The girl, whose name cannot be released, began smoking at nine and started drinking tonic wine and vodka cocktails at ten.  The youngster, who lives near Edinburgh, says looking after her younger brothers has prepared her for motherhood.  Meanwhile, her 34-year-old mother says she is very proud of her daughter, whom she feels "can walk out there with her head held high." I'd give my opinion on this news item but honestly I'm still too much in shock.  It's frightening on so many levels.   Posted Jul 11 2007, 03:36 PM by MetroDad with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: teen pregnancy

• Keisha Castle-Hughes on Teen Pregnancy: "I Felt Like I Had to Hide It"

  Seventeen-year-old actress Keisha Castle-Hughes, who won an Oscar nomination for her role in the film Whale Rider at age 13, made headlines last year when she announced her first pregnancy.  The New Zealand native recently opened up on New Zealand's Sunday show about her pregnancy, and how the international media made her feel bad about her decision to become a mom. "It hurts because in a time where it's usually a huge celebration...Instead of feeling, 'Wow, I'm having a baby and this is amazing,' I felt like I had to hide it, and I felt like it was bad for me to be happy about it." But she says she feels she's as well prepared as anyone else might be for the job, because "I don't see it as a matter of how old you are... if it wasn't meant to happen now, it wouldn't have happened now." Read More... Posted Apr 23 2007, 04:02 PM by Alisyn with | with no comments Filed under: Celebrities, keisha castle-hughes, teen pregnancy

• Mexican Baby Doll-Bots Fight Teen Pregnancy

  When is a baby not a baby?  When it's an "infant simulator" like the ones now being used in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua to combat escalating teen pregnancy.  When I was in high school, people were sent home with 5-lb bags of flour to "care" for overnight.  Now, they're using babies almost as real as the real thing.  These new simulators are programmed to feel and act as close as possible to the real thing, with settings ranging from "easy" to "cranky", and even variations allowing for the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome.  I know, they're kinda creepy, aren't they? But what's important is that they work.  With 20% of the babies born in Chihuahua being the children of mothers aged 19 or younger, it's a problem that hasn't gone away via other means.  Apparently this program, designed by Realityworks, Inc. has a good track record in helping to deter teen pregnancy and is being used in many countries.  It's hard enough being pregnant and rasing a child if you're not a teen.  I'm glad there's something out there that may help kids all over from making choices they will later regret. Posted Feb 26 2007, 10:10 AM by Karen Murphy with | with no comments Filed under: teen pregnancy, mexico, baby simulator

• Judge's Orders: 13 Year Old must Abort Baby

  Everything about this story sucks. A 13-year-old got pregnant. That is sad. Her boyfriend was 15. Her parents didn't want her to have the baby, but she wanted to keep it, also very sad. Even worse, a judge ordered her to have an abortion. The girl is from Torino, Italy and in Italy a minor cannot make a decision to about a fetus, so that power is given to the girls parents. First of all, I am shocked that abortion is even legal in such a predominantly Catholic country. I was so surprised that I actually looked it up, but it is true. Second, I've never before heard of anyone ordering an abortion. I am 100% pro-choice, but I mean pro-choice. I don't think anyone should be telling anyone else that they must have an abortion, particularly not the government. That is just a little bit too totalitarian for my taste. Oh yeah, and after the abortion, the little girl completely freaked out and threatened to kill herself. Something is very wrong with that system.  Posted Feb 18 2007, 12:13 PM by Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, abortion, teen pregnancy, Italy

• U.S. Teen Pregnancy Rate Hits All-Time Low

  According to a study published in the February issue of Pediatrics (and rehashed here - boy, the KOLD News Team sure have lovely teeth!), the teen pregnancy rate in the U.S hit an all-time low in 2005, with a rate of 40.4 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19. This was, according to statisticians working on the report, the lowest the rate's been in the 65 years "for which we have consistent data". So "all-time" could be construed as (hang on, need to do some subtraction - when I took this job, I was told there'd be no math, goddammit) "dating back to 1942, as far as we can tell". The average age of a U.S. bride from 1950 to 1972 was about 20, so by "teen", does the survey mean "unwed teen"? I'm pretty sure there were a lot of pregnant teens in, say, the early 1800's; 'course, they were all married by the time they were 16. Ah - even I'm bored with the direction I'm taking this post. Back to the point. Read More... Posted Feb 06 2007, 09:37 AM by JasonAvant with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, teenagers, babies, marriage, birth control, contraception, abstinence-education, teen pregnancy