The pregnancy rate among teenage girls is on the rise in the United States, according to a new study released by the Guttmacher Institute (a nonpartisan, nonprofit group). The study examined the most recent statistical data available, and concluded that the pregnancy rate among teenagers aged 15-19 rose three percent in 2006. It had been previously reported that the teenage birthrate was up in 2006, but there was speculation that this might simply mean that more girls carried their pregnancies to term rather than seeking abortions. The Guttmacher study is especially noteworthy, because it looked at data for both teenage birthrates and rates of abortion: since the teenage birthrate increased four percent in 2006 and the teenage abortion rate increased one percent in 2006, it does show an overall rise in teenage pregnancies. 

This rise comes after more than a decade of declining rates of teen pregnancies in the United States. According to the Guttmacher report, the teen pregnancy rate peaked in 1990 (when the rate was 116.9 per 1,000 young women), and reached its lowest point in more than three decades in 2005 (when the rate was 71.5 pregnancies per 1,000 young women).

This news has already reignited the debate about what policies to pursue to reduce teenage pregnancies.  Many argue that the increase shows that abstinence-only sex-education programs are not effective, and indeed the Wisconsin legislature has passed a bill that would require public-school sex-education programs to include information on birth control, STDs, and legal consequences for having sex with under-age girls. Proponents argue that high pregnancy and STD rates demonstrate the failure of the current programs, and opponents argue that we just need more emphasis on teen abstinence, including more consistent social messages that teen sex is not socially acceptable. Teen pregnancies were on a steady decline until 2006, and this increase could be a temporary blip. Opponents also oppose the law on the grounds that the decision should be left to local school boards, as it is now. Under either current law or the new law, parents can opt to remove their children from the sex education program entirely.

This debate is already becoming heated and partisan, with votes on the Wisconsin bill apparently following party lines. There are, however, some points upon which virtually everyone agrees.

For one thing, nearly everyone agrees that teenage pregnancy is something that should be avoided. Even people who are not troubled by the moral choices made by teenagers engaging in sexual relationships are concerned about other realities. Teenage pregnancies present more health risks for the mothers and the babies than do pregnancies in older women. Teenage mothers have a harder time pursuing their educations, and a harder time staying employed. Teens are rarely mature enough to cope with the difficult decisions about the pregnancy, and whether to ultimately keep the baby or give the baby up for adoption. Children raised by teenage mothers are (on average) more likely to live at or near the poverty level.

For another thing, nearly everyone views an increase in teenagers having abortions as a bad thing. While some people believe this as a part of a general pro-life stance, those who advocate pro-choice policies do not want to see teens in a position to have to make a decision of this sort, either. It is, quite simply, a terrible spot to be in, and most of us want to protect our young people from hard realities as long as possible.

There are some other facts that are worthy of consideration in this debate. Although it is true that U.S. teenage pregnancy rates declined steadily for more than a decade (while abstinence-only education was in full swing), throughout that time the U.S. teen pregnancy rate was consistently much higher than the rates in other developed countries in the world. For example, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate has been about three times higher than the rate in France and over six times higher than the teen pregnancy rate in the Netherlands. The U.S. teen rates for STDs and abortion have also been significantly higher over the past decade than in France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Perhaps we need to take a look at what is working in these other developed nations, and see if we can do better in our own country.