McCain fought money on teen pregnancy programs

Hatuey · 09-02-08, 08:43 AM

McCain fought money on teen pregnancy programs - Yahoo! News

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WASHINGTON - Republican John McCain, whose running mate disclosed that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, has opposed proposals to spend federal money on teen-pregnancy prevention programs and voted to require poor teen mothers to stay in school or lose their benefits.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's announcement Monday about her daughter, Bristol, was aimed at rebutting Internet rumors that Palin's youngest son, born in April, was actually her daughter's. Palin said her daughter intends to raise her child and marry the baby's father, who was identified only by his first name, Levi. The baby is due in late December.

McCain's record on issues surrounding teen pregnancy and contraceptives during his more than two decades in the Senate indicates that he and Palin have similar views. Until Monday, when the subject surfaced in a deeply personal manner, teen pregnancy and sex education were not issues in the national political campaign.

Well.... I'm sure they're all laughing about how ironic life can be.

American · 09-02-08, 09:11 AM

You mean like people being responsible for their own pregnancies? I suppose you thought a govt program would have prevented this?

Hatuey · 09-02-08, 09:19 AM

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Originally Posted by American

You mean like people being responsible for their own pregnancies?

Buddy. The programs addressed teen pregnancy prevention. I find it ironic because you know....the circumstances.

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I suppose you thought a govt program would have prevented this?

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/09/12/USTPstats.pdf

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• The teenage pregnancy rate among those who ever had intercourse declined 28% between
1990 and 2002.
• The teenage birthrate in 2002 was 30% lower than the peak rate of 61.8 births per 1,000
women, reached in 1991.
• Between 1988 and 2000, teenage pregnancy rates declined in every state and in the
District of Columbia.
• By 2002, the teenage abortion rate had dropped by 50% from its peak in 1988.
• From 1986 to 2002, the proportion of teenage pregnancies ending in abortion declined
more than one-quarter from 46% to 34% of pregnancies among 15–19-year-olds.
• Among black women aged 15–19, the nationwide pregnancy rate fell by 40% between
1990 and 2002.
• Among white teenagers, it declined by 34% during the same time period.
• Among Hispanic teenagers, who may be of any race, the pregnancy rate increased
slightly from 1991–1992, but by 2002 was 19% lower than the 1990 rate.

Do you think this is because parents have become more active in the lives of their 'children'? Or because prevention programs have gotten better?

American · 09-02-08, 09:23 AM

Without the govt we'd be lost.

Hatuey · 09-02-08, 09:33 AM

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Originally Posted by American

Without the govt we'd be lost.

So what you're saying is that parenting has gotten better?

American · 09-02-08, 09:46 AM

Are you arguing that teenagers have gotten smarter?

Hatuey · 09-02-08, 09:49 AM

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Originally Posted by American

Are you arguing that teenagers have gotten smarter?

How much did you know about computers when you were a teen? Were you into the computer programs of your era? How much did you know about technology? Kids have indeed gotten smarter in almost every field.

Zyphlin · 09-02-08, 09:52 AM

I'm actually in favor of prevention programs in general, but I will admit I'm not all that familiar with the debate.

What would be a very interesting thing to compare however...

Compare the stats above of Hautey's in regards to abortions and teenage births to the stats on STD's in teenagers during the same period of time. And, the rate in which teenagers are admitted to sexual activity and at what age.

I'd be curious to know if at the same time that pregnancies and abortions in teenagers are going down, STD's are going up and average starting age of sexual activity went down.

Not saying it is, I'm just stating it'd be an interesting bit of statistics to find if possible.

winston53660 · 09-02-08, 09:53 AM

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Originally Posted by American

Are you arguing that teenagers have gotten smarter?

They certainly have gotten more knowledgeable. Or at least it was a trend.

American · 09-02-08, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatuey

How much did you know about computers when you were a teen? Were you into the computer programs of your era? How much did you know about technology? Kids have indeed gotten smarter in almost every field.

So today's teens are smarter than Isaac Newton, Leonardo DaVinci, Albert Einstein and Bernoulli?