Some were under age 14. Sponsors of the conference said they were alarmed at reports that more teens are becoming sexually active at younger ages. In addition, they cited continuing high teen birthrates despite widespread acknowledgment of the social and financial problems that ensue. The annual teen birthrate in Orange County has climbed steadily from 2,929 to 4,745 in the last decade.
Experts estimate that an equal number of teen-age girls obtain abortions.
Kathleen Goldberg, president of the Adolescent Pregnancy Childwatch Coalition, a project of the Junior League of Orange County, attributed part of the increase to a growing population. But she also blamed sporadic sex education programs in public schools, as well as an entertainment industry that glorifies sex and parents who are in denial about how early sexual activity begins. One goal of the conference was to prevent second pregnancies and exposure to the HIV virus among participants, Goldberg said. Seventy percent of teen mothers have a second child before they reach 21, she said. Among the problems associated with early childbearing are babies with low birth weights due to a lack of prenatal care, school dropouts, poverty and sexually transmitted disease.