Search Results for: blog preventing teen pregnancy

Robot Babies Don’t Prevent Teen Pregnancy

When you were in high school, you might have been assigned to carry around an egg, or a baby doll, as part of your sexual education coursework. It provided just enough awkwardness, and annoyance, to make teens realize that being a parent can be difficult. Today, some teens are assigned to care for a robot baby. Unfortunately, these adorable robot babies don’t prevent teen pregnancy. Robot babies are infant simulators with wireless programing and reporting capabilities. At first glance, you might think it was a real baby. The robot baby will cry when it needs to be fed, burped, rocked, … Continue reading →

Teens Views on Sex

Earlier this week I read that the “National Center for Health Statistics” conducted a survey of over 4,500 teens, in which they were asked questions about sexual activity. Apparently the majority of teens don’t fear getting a sexually transmitted disease. However the ones that are most likely to abstain from sex are those who do so for religious reasons. I don’t understand how there isn’t a fear of sexually transmitted diseases. Perhaps they were not given graphic details, such as I shared with my children when they reached a certain age. I didn’t just tell them you can get gonorrhea, … Continue reading →

Parents Who Allow Teens to Have Sex at Home

Maybe I shouldn’t be shocked but I am. Apparently there is a new trend emerging in some homes, where parents are allowing their teens to have sex at home. Elizabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of “The View” and part-time contributor to “Good Morning America” took part in a discussion with both parents and teens in separate settings to discuss teen sex at home. There are some parents who believe that if their teens are going to have sex; they would be safer doing it at home. One mother cited her reasons for allowing her 18-year-old son to have sex at home is … Continue reading →

Teens Being Charged with Child Pornography

About a week ago I watched a segment on “The View” about a young girl who at the age of 13 met a man in an online chat room. The whole situation is quite disturbing. He apparently “talked” her into sending nude pictures. Not only that but he also convinced her to perform sexual acts with friends on her web cam. While I am somewhat sympathetic to the pressure she may have felt about sending pictures, I don’t feel quite the same about the acts she performed with her friends. How a person online can convince someone to do these … Continue reading →

Preventing Teen Pregnancy

Is it possible to prevent teen pregnancy? While I like to think that as a parent you are going to be a powerful influence over your child, the reality is that there are no guarantees. Even the best parents see their teens make decisions that are heartbreaking. I can’t help but think of Sarah Palin. I truly believe that family did everything in their power to teach their children the right behavior, however, in the end they could not completely control the decisions that daughter Bristol would make. There is simply no guarantee that your teen won’t engage in sex. … Continue reading →

Should We Pay Teens to Not Get Pregnant?

Have you heard about College Bound Sisters? It is a program in Greensboro, North Carolina that is designed to prevent teen pregnancy. The program targets younger sisters of teen mothers who are between the ages of 12 and 16, want to go to college, have never been pregnant and are willing to attend an hour and a half meeting each week. In return, for every day that these teens do not get pregnant, they are paid $1. $7 is deposited into a college fun each week that they attend the meeting, are not pregnant, and are still attending school. When … Continue reading →

Pregnancy Rates are Dropping

A report from the latest issue of National Vital Statistics Reports (Volume 58, Number 4, October 14, 2009) shows that pregnancy rates are dropping. The data also indicates a significant drop in abortion rates, which leads me to believe that pregnancy prevention is on the rise. Whether this is a result of increased abstinence among teens or birth control is under debate. The pregnancy rate for young teens dropped by 48%. The total pregnancy rate has dropped by 11 percent. These numbers do not include the recent rise in teen pregnancy since 2006. So why are people having fewer babies? … Continue reading →

Health Risks Related to Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy continues to be a problem around the world, despite lower teen pregnancy rates. There are health risks specific to teen pregnancy that pregnant teens and parents should discuss with the doctor or midwife. In addition, teen mothers need to be educated about the risks and the importance of nutrition and prenatal care. According to the March of Dimes, teens are at a higher risk of preterm birth, compared to older mothers. The March of Dimes reports that between the years of 2002 to 2004, the preterm birth rate for women 20-29 years old was 11.7 percent. For women … Continue reading →

Babies Help Prevent Unwanted Pregnancy

A new program is sweeping Boys and Girls clubs around the nation, aiming its message at participants who are ages 11 to 13. Computerized babies, that look, feel, and cry–just like the real thing, are being offered through a “Real Skillz Parenting Course.” (And no, skillz is not a typo.) Each $500 baby comes programmed to cry periodically for various pre-programmed reasons and the participant must correct the problem in order to make the doll stop crying. The kids have the infants from 9am to 3pm for a period of two weeks and the goal of the program is to … Continue reading →

Intrusion On Our Children

Intrusion on our children? I believe that is exactly the situation in New York. Apparently the New York City Department of Education is expanding its sex education curriculum to include the distribution of…get this…morning after pills. Yes, you read that right. The morning after pill is being made available to girls in high school, and guess what? Parental consent isn’t necessary. Girls as young as 14 years old will have access to this and their parents won’t even know. Yes, I definitely call this an intrusion. Okay, so there is the possibility of opting out. But of course, that means … Continue reading →