New Study Shows Teen Pregnancy on the Rise
January 27, 2010 4:16:23
Minneapolis — On the heels of a new study showing a rise in teenage pregnancy rates, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota is urging policymakers to make comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education a priority in local communities, and parents to demand it. The Guttmacher Institute study shows that teen pregnancy rates rose three percent in 2006 — the first rise in more than a decade.
“This new study makes crystal clear what Planned Parenthood has known for years — abstinence-only sex education for teenagers does not work,” said Sarah Stoesz, President and CEO. “Now more than ever, we must ensure that our teenagers receive medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education that gives them the tools to make responsible decisions about their health.”
Planned Parenthood provides reproductive health education programming with a focus on reducing unplanned pregnancies STIs and HIV. Planned Parenthood’s sex education programs empower communities to make healthy, responsible decisions about their reproductive health.
Unfortunately, after a decade of progress in reducing the rate of teenage pregnancy, we are witnessing a substantial increase in the number of teens who are getting pregnant. In addition, we are facing a crisis in the alarming rate of sexually transmitted infections among our young people. It is unacceptable that one out of every two sexually active young people has a sexually transmitted infection by the age of 25.
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota applauds President Obama and members of Congress who have recognized that abstinence-only programs do not work, and who are investing in medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education for our teenagers. We urge Minnesota lawmakers to do the same. An investment in comprehensive sex education is an investment in reducing unintended and teen pregnancies.
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Contact Kathi Di Nicola, PPMNS Media Relations Director: 651.755.9557
Trackback: http://www.plannedparenthoodadvocate.org/trackback/737/kQp6tWcQ/
