Glad to see the Abstinence program is working

[elsid13]

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37 percent of U.S. births out of wedlock
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer
7 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061121/ap_on_re_us/unmarried_births


Out-of-wedlock births in the United States have climbed to an all-time high, accounting for nearly four in 10 babies born last year, government health officials said Tuesday.

While out-of-wedlock births have long been associated with teen mothers, the teen birth rate actually dropped last year to the lowest level on record. Instead, births among unwed mothers rose most dramatically among women in their 20s.

Experts said the overall rise reflects the burgeoning number of people who are putting off marriage or living together without getting married. They said it also reflects the fact that having a child out of wedlock is more acceptable nowadays and not necessarily the source of shame it once was.

The increase in births to unwed mothers was seen in all racial groups, but rose most sharply among Hispanics. It was up among all age groups except youngsters ages 10 to 17.

"A lot of people think of teenagers and unmarried mothers synonymously, but they are not driving this," said Stephanie Ventura of the National Center for Health Statistics, a co-author of the report.

The government also reported that the rate of births by Caesarean delivery continued to climb in 2005 to a record high, despite efforts by public health authorities to bring down the number.

Many experts believe a large number of C-sections are medically unnecessary and done only for the convenience of the mother or her doctor.

The government report includes information from 99 percent of U.S. birth certificates filed last year. The information for 2005 is considered preliminary, but officials said it is not expected to change much.

About 4.1 million babies were born in the United States last year, up slightly from 2004. More than 1.5 million of those were to unmarried women; that is about 37 percent of the total. In 2004, about 36 percent of births were out of wedlock.

Out-of-wedlock births have been rising since the late 1990s.

Several factors may be contributing to the trend, said Dr. Yolanda Wimberly, an adolescent-medicine specialist at Atlanta's Morehouse School of Medicine.

More women in their 30s and 40s, hearing their biological clock, are choosing to give birth despite their single status. Younger women are not as worried about being unmarried, either, she added.

"I think it's more acceptable in society" to have a child without getting married, she said.

Just because a mother is not married does not mean the father isn't around, Ventura noted. She cited 2002 statistics that showed that about 20 percent of all new mothers under 20 were unmarried but living with the father at the time of the birth. That same was true of about 13 percent of all new mothers ages 20 to 24.

According to census figures, the median age at first marriage was 27 for men and 25 for women last year, up from 23 and 20 in 1950. Meanwhile, the number of unmarried-couple households with children has been climbing, hitting more than 1.7 million last year, up from under 200,000 in 1970.

Other findings in the report:

The birth rate among teenagers declined 2 percent in 2005, continuing a trend from the early 1990s. The rate is now about 40 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19. That is the lowest level in the 65 years for which a consistent series of rates is available.

The U.S. teen birth rate is still the highest among industrialized countries.

Births to women in their early 20s rose slightly, to 102 births per 1,000 women ages 20 to 24. Births to women in their late 20s — the most productive group in terms of childbirth — was about the same from the previous year, at about 116 per 1,000 women ages 25 to 29.

The C-section rate rose to 30.2 percent of all births in 2005, an increase of 1 percentage point from the previous year. The rate has risen by nearly half since 1996.

"It is clear that the procedure is being overused," Tonya Jamois, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network, said in a statement. ICAN is a California-based nonprofit organization focused on lowering C-section rates.

[epicSocialism4tw]

I would attribute increased pregnancies out-of-wedlock to the increasingly flippant attitude towards marriage in the US, the glorification of sex with multiple partners, and the dumbing down of the teaching about sex in public schools.

The correlation that you drew between abstinence education and this statistic shows little more than your bias.

[elsid13]

I would attribute increased pregnancies out-of-wedlock to the increasingly flippant attitude towards marriage in the US, the glorification of sex with multiple partners, and the dumbing down of the teaching about sex in public schools.
The correlation that you drew between abstinence education and this statistic shows little more than your bias.

Dumbing down of sex education ??? how about a the down right disgrace of not teaching kids about sexual protection and giving them access to condoms for a abstinence program that doesn't work.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Dumbing down of sex education ??? how about a the down right disgrace of not teaching kids about sexual protection and giving them access to condoms for a abstinence program that doesn't work.

This article has zero to do with abstinence-first education. Z - E - R - O .

Maybe you should have read it before making some goofy inference about something that isnt even contained in the article? LOL

[yavoon]

I always thought schools should stop teaching sex education and start teaching more nutrition. screw birthrate, we're a nation of fatties.

[elsid13]

This article has zero to do with abstinence-first education. Z - E - R - O .

Maybe you should have read it before making some goofy inference about something that isnt even contained in the article? LOL

No, I read the article and put the title out there just to get you all excited.

[Spider]

I would attribute increased pregnancies out-of-wedlock to the increasingly flippant attitude towards marriage in the US, the glorification of sex with multiple partners, and the dumbing down of the teaching about sex in public schools.

The correlation that you drew between abstinence education and this statistic shows little more than your bias.

Yeah marriage ..........speaking of mariage , I can meet a `waitress around 10:00 pm , be in vegas by morning and married ......Dumbing down sex ?
Step 1 stick in
step 2 pull out
step 3 repeat steps 1 and 2 if needed ....... it isnt rocket science ........
no the problem is we have a bunch of Idiots that think the Just say no crap works ........ I am facing this now , with a 14 year old daughter, but she is helping with the triplets , so she isnt wild about babies right now .........we have an agreement , she doesnt date , I dont go balistic ......... But she is friends with a Kid down the street 15 years old and already has a Job , works 8 hours a day now , and after school when school year is here .....Very responcible kid .........And guess what niether kid gives a damn what the goverment or a church says ...........

[Hogan11]

The full-proof rhythm method strikes again I see.

Abstinence only works if you teach them masturbation....the kids are gonna get off one way or another....it might as well be by the one who loves them the most Ha!

[defenseman]

Back to Story - Help
37 percent of U.S. births out of wedlock
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer
7 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061121/ap_on_re_us/unmarried_births


Out-of-wedlock births in the United States have climbed to an all-time high, accounting for nearly four in 10 babies born last year, government health officials said Tuesday.

While out-of-wedlock births have long been associated with teen mothers, the teen birth rate actually dropped last year to the lowest level on record. Instead, births among unwed mothers rose most dramatically among women in their 20s.

Experts said the overall rise reflects the burgeoning number of people who are putting off marriage or living together without getting married. They said it also reflects the fact that having a child out of wedlock is more acceptable nowadays and not necessarily the source of shame it once was.

The increase in births to unwed mothers was seen in all racial groups, but rose most sharply among Hispanics. It was up among all age groups except youngsters ages 10 to 17.

"A lot of people think of teenagers and unmarried mothers synonymously, but they are not driving this," said Stephanie Ventura of the National Center for Health Statistics, a co-author of the report.

The government also reported that the rate of births by Caesarean delivery continued to climb in 2005 to a record high, despite efforts by public health authorities to bring down the number.

Many experts believe a large number of C-sections are medically unnecessary and done only for the convenience of the mother or her doctor.

The government report includes information from 99 percent of U.S. birth certificates filed last year. The information for 2005 is considered preliminary, but officials said it is not expected to change much.

About 4.1 million babies were born in the United States last year, up slightly from 2004. More than 1.5 million of those were to unmarried women; that is about 37 percent of the total. In 2004, about 36 percent of births were out of wedlock.

Out-of-wedlock births have been rising since the late 1990s.

Several factors may be contributing to the trend, said Dr. Yolanda Wimberly, an adolescent-medicine specialist at Atlanta's Morehouse School of Medicine.

More women in their 30s and 40s, hearing their biological clock, are choosing to give birth despite their single status. Younger women are not as worried about being unmarried, either, she added.

"I think it's more acceptable in society" to have a child without getting married, she said.

Just because a mother is not married does not mean the father isn't around, Ventura noted. She cited 2002 statistics that showed that about 20 percent of all new mothers under 20 were unmarried but living with the father at the time of the birth. That same was true of about 13 percent of all new mothers ages 20 to 24.

According to census figures, the median age at first marriage was 27 for men and 25 for women last year, up from 23 and 20 in 1950. Meanwhile, the number of unmarried-couple households with children has been climbing, hitting more than 1.7 million last year, up from under 200,000 in 1970.

Other findings in the report:

The birth rate among teenagers declined 2 percent in 2005, continuing a trend from the early 1990s. The rate is now about 40 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19. That is the lowest level in the 65 years for which a consistent series of rates is available.

The U.S. teen birth rate is still the highest among industrialized countries.

Births to women in their early 20s rose slightly, to 102 births per 1,000 women ages 20 to 24. Births to women in their late 20s — the most productive group in terms of childbirth — was about the same from the previous year, at about 116 per 1,000 women ages 25 to 29.

The C-section rate rose to 30.2 percent of all births in 2005, an increase of 1 percentage point from the previous year. The rate has risen by nearly half since 1996.

"It is clear that the procedure is being overused," Tonya Jamois, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network, said in a statement. ICAN is a California-based nonprofit organization focused on lowering C-section rates.

appears to me the teenagers are getting the message. 20 somethings appear to be having more kids. NOT teenagers. Why? Who knows and won't try to begin to figure out. The teen decrease though, is very good to see....dman

[elsid13]

appears to me the teenagers are getting the message. 20 somethings appear to be having more kids. NOT teenagers. Why? Who knows and won't try to begin to figure out. The teen decrease though, is very good to see....dman

I wouldn't read to much into that because it only a single year data point. And might be trend or might not. I really more concerned with the total lack of fear or prevention being taken by my generation and younger when comes to safe sex, then out of wedlock babies. I read in the Washington Post and couple of months ago that has been increasing in STDs and HIV infection, mainly because folks believe that doctors can give them a shoot and it all goes away.

[Spider]

I wouldn't read to much into that because it only a single year data point. And might be trend or might not. I really more concerned with the total lack of fear or prevention being taken by my generation and younger when comes to safe sex, then out of wedlock babies. I read in the Washington Post and couple of months ago that has been increasing in STDs and HIV infection, mainly because folks believe that doctors can give them a shoot and it all goes away.
Just like in the 60's and 80's , careless sex has always been around , back then syphils , Herpies , Hepititis A,B,C, you name it ........

[RMT]

perhaps the increase can be attributed to the fact that we're a society of no accountability. Schools cannot be responsible for all of the social duties of teaching kids what to and what not to eat. Same thing about sex. There's no shame in teen pregnancy anymore. Where are the parents?

This trend says a lot more about our "values" than anything else.

[Spider]

perhaps the increase can be attributed to the fact that we're a society of no accountability. Schools cannot be responsible for all of the social duties of teaching kids what to and what not to eat. Same thing about sex. There's no shame in teen pregnancy anymore. Where are the parents?

This trend says a lot more about our "values" than anything else.

LOL ......this kind of attitude twords sex is new , never been thought of .untill this generation ..........i wonder what kind of kool aid you have to drink to believe this bullshít ?

[Rohirrim]

....the kids are gonna get off one way or another....it might as well be by the one who loves them the most Ha!

You mean their local clergy? ;D

[RMT]

LOL ......this kind of attitude twords sex is new , never been thought of .untill this generation ..........i wonder what kind of kool aid you have to drink to believe this bullshít ?

What would work then?

[Spider]

What would work then?

Truckers Method ...back up before you unload ;D
seriously though , you have to pound your kids with info on sex and what the price is .......... Yeah scare the piss out of them ;D
Kinda hard with 2 parents working , I am lucky , my wife can afford to stay home and raise our kids , she doesnt need ot work outside of the home .........

[Barry Ramey]

I would say it has more to do with the message sent these days that women don't need men except for their sperm.

[Bronco Bob]

I would say it has more to do with the message sent these days that women don't need men except for their sperm.

Correct. Nowhere in the article does it say that the increase in unwed mothers
is do to accident. So how does abstanence apply to a woman who goes out
and intends to get pregnant and doesn't want the complications of marriage?
That less teenagers are getting pregnant is a better indication that maybe
abstanence programs actually are working.

[SPfloppy]

Kids will not stop having sex. It's just not going to happen. As a mandate kids from the age of 14 to 18 should be required to undergoe annual physicals, sex education taught by the State with no religious influence so as not to alienate them or scare them and lastly birth control medication should be mandated for girls who after thier physical are cleared to take it. this is not empowering them to have sex it is deeling with a problem realisticly

[RMT]

Kids will not stop having sex. It's just not going to happen. As a mandate kids from the age of 14 to 18 should be required to undergoe annual physicals, sex education taught by the State with no religious influence so as not to alienate them or scare them and lastly birth control medication should be mandated for girls who after thier physical are cleared to take it. this is not empowering them to have sex it is deeling with a problem realisticly

My personal feeling is that if the public wants children to be educated about sex in such a way as to not have any of their beliefs offended along the way, the best place for that to take place is in the home - and rightfully so. I believe it's my responsiblity as a parent to educate my child about the pitfalls of premarital sex and do it in my own way. Parents need to be the parents - not schools.

[Dudeskey]

What is abstinence? Something you wear? I'll have to try that