To the religious fundies who think harsh laws on choice and abstienence education works....

[LynneSin]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090107/ap_on_he_me/med_teen_births;_ylt=AgpHGVlXNhXhNWUvJJ9_EmADW7oF
Mississippi has highest teen birth rate, CDC says

ATLANTA – Mississippi now has the nation's highest teen pregnancy rate, displacing Texas and New Mexico for that lamentable title, according to a new federal report released Wednesday.

Mississippi's rate was more than 60 percent higher than the national average in 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The teen pregnancy rate in Texas and New Mexico was more than 50 percent higher.

The three states have large proportions of black and Hispanic teenagers — groups that traditionally have higher birth rates, experts noted.

The lowest teen birth rates continue to be in New England, where three states have teen birth rates at just half the national average.

It's not clear why Mississippi surged into first place. The state's one-year increase of nearly 1,000 teen births could be a statistical blip, said Ron Cossman, a Mississippi State University researcher who focuses on children's health statistics.

<<<<snip>>>>>>
Some experts have blamed the national increase on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education that does not teach teens how to use condoms and other contraception. They said that would explain why teen birth rate increases have been detected across much of the country and not just in a few spots.

There is debate about that, however. Some conservative organizations have argued that contraceptive-focused sex education is still common, and that the new teen birth numbers reflect it is failing.

Other factors include the escalating cost of some types of birth control and their unavailability in some communities, said Stephanie Birch, who directs maternal and child health programs for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.

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I find it odd the study says it's because of the large proportion of black & hispanic teenagers but other states have these groups too.

But I do know that in the south, many of these states are run by fundamentalists who are pushing abstinence only education and restricting access to reliable birth control. Why isn't THAT a factor in this list?

[MineralMan]

1. Knocked Up In A Red State -- A Republican Teen's Story

That seems to be the deal. Now...let's look at the divorce rates in those "godly" states.

[YOY]

2. Religious institutions love underaged mothers.

Greater chance of poverty. Lower income. Less chance of education.

In desperation they turn to faith and beat a path to the door of the church.