There are substantial differences in these patterns by state, and they have been explained to some degree. The report also examines how these differences can be magnified by differences in race and ethnicity. Birth rates for white teenagers have been shown to be three times as high in some states as in others. As public health practitioners at the national, state, and local levels, we need this type of detailed information to target our prevention strategies. Not all young women in all areas experience an equal risk.
Many factors enable some young women to avoid an unplanned pregnancy in their teenage years.
Some of these factors include self-esteem, the interpersonal skills to resist early initiation of sexual activity, appropriate and adequate health education, and access to family planning services and counseling. The teenage years are a time of personal discovery and fulfillment. They are not years well-suited to the nurturing of a future generation. We must make it possible for every teenager to prevent a pregnancy until that personal decision is a responsible and appropriate one and in the best interest of all involved. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version.