Teen birth rates highest in most religious states

[Chemisse]

Link may be due to communities frowning on contraception, researchers say

U.S. states whose residents have more conservative religious beliefs on average tend to have higher rates of teenagers giving birth, a new study suggests.

The relationship could be due to the fact that communities with such religious beliefs (a literal interpretation of the Bible, for instance) may frown upon contraception, researchers say. If that same culture isn't successfully discouraging teen sex, the pregnancy and birth rates rise.

Mississippi topped the list for conservative religious beliefs and teen birth rates, according to the study results, which will be detailed in a forthcoming issue of the journal Reproductive Health.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32884806/ns/health-kids_and... /

[Selatius]

1. They don't teach sex ed properly here. I know because I live here in Mississippi.

All they taught was how the human body works and how the parts "fit together," but they don't teach anything about safe sex that I can recall when I was in high school, nor does the school even bother to provide condoms for those who do engage in sex. Many parents don't want that stuff for religious reasons, and they wonder why the fucking state is at the bottom or nearly at the bottom of so many state rankings.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

10. Dey don teach sexed property here?

Well, boy, sexed aint no none problem heah, cuz, we learn dem all, right from the start.

[Heidi]

2. I'm astonished!

You mean to say purity rings and vows don't prevent teen pregnancy?

[Selatius]

3. The purity rings and vows just make them become excellent at oral sex.

A lot of people make up the excuse that oral sex is not real sex to get around the sex prohibition thing. How unfortunate you happen to choose that smiley.

[Heidi]

4. To my knowledge, oral sex never got anyone pregnant.

They apparently are not practicing it seriously enough.

[geek_sabre]

5. Its looking at "birth rates," not "pregnancy rates"

You'll notice the second half of the article states less religious states have more abortions.

It also doesn't take into account that more religious states tend to have higher poverty and poorer education in general, both of which affect birth rate and pregnancy rates. Religion may have nothing to do with this.

Even if the pregnancy rates were equal across the board, you would expect more religious states to have more resulting births. This is a dumb study. I'd be more interested in a pregnancy rate vs. religiosity study.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. But that's the point; they looked at abortion rates too

They found a strong correlation between statewide conservative religiousness and statewide teen birth rate even when they accounted for income and abortion rates.

For instance, the results showed more abortions among teenagers in the less religious states, which would skew the findings since fewer teens in these states would have births. But even after accounting for the abortions, the study team still found a state's level of religiosity could predict their teen birth rate. The higher the religiosity, the higher was the teen birth rate on average.

So it's not a 'dumb study'. The 'second half' you point to shows exactly what you wanted them to look at.

[moggie]

7. It says they adjusted for abortions

They found a strong correlation between statewide conservative religiousness and statewide teen birth rate even when they accounted for income and abortion rates.

For instance, the results showed more abortions among teenagers in the less religious states, which would skew the findings since fewer teens in these states would have births. But even after accounting for the abortions, the study team still found a state's level of religiosity could predict their teen birth rate. The higher the religiosity, the higher was the teen birth rate on average.

(Emphasis added). ISTR that past research has also shown a greater incidence of teen STDs in more religious areas.

[Chemisse]

8. I wonder when they will decide to teach about birth control

After all, this has been going on since the beginning of humanity. Yet time and again it is an unexpected surprise!

[Soylent Brice]

9. irony is fun.