Boone County Project SAFE Member
Hundreds of thousands of teens nationwide are expected to participate in the 12th Annual National Month to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in May, 2013. The purpose of the National Month is to focus the attention of teens on the importance of avoiding too-early pregnancy and parenthood.
Over the past two decades there have been extraordinary declines in teen pregnancy and childbearing, proving that progress can be made on tough issues. In fact, few social problems have improved quite as dramatically over the past 20 years as teen pregnancy.
The latest news on the teen pregnancy front has been incredibly positive. The teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. has declined 42% since its peak in 1990 and is now at a nearly 40-year low, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics. There have been impressive declines in all 50 states and among all racial/ethnic groups.
“The steady decline in teen pregnancy represents one of the nation’s great success stories and the thanks go to teens themselves,” said Sarah Brown, Chief Executive Officer of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, organizer of the National Day. “Despite all of this amazing progress, it is still the case that nearly three in 10 girls get pregnant by age 20 and that the U.S. still has the highest teen pregnancy rate among comparable countries.
Many factors contribute to the issue of unintended pregnancy. It is often reported that risky teen behavior, including drug, alcohol and tobacco use, delinquency, and sexual activity occur among the same groups of teens. Therefore, teens that drink or use substances are more sexually active and less likely to use contraception when they have sex than teens who take fewer risks. In fact, more than one-third of sexually active teens and young adults report that alcohol or drug use has influenced them to do something sexual (Why it Matters: Teen Pregnancy, Substance Use, and Other Risky Behaviors, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy).
We hope that— in some modest way— participating in the National Month will help teens continue to think carefully about all risky behaviors, but particularly sex and contraception, the possibility of pregnancy, and the lifelong challenges of being a parent.”
For more information on the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, please visit www.TheNationalCampaign.org/national.
The SAFE Way Column is a monthly column contributed by members of Boone County Project SAFE. SAFE is a community coalition working to promote a substance abuse free environment and to assure healthy youth and healthy communities. We welcome all community members to join. For more information on Boone County Project SAFE, call 433-4917.