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Usability issues aside, this is an incredible result. A lot of poverty and social issues come from having children before the parents can reasonably support or

by cheez 11y ago

Usability issues aside, this is an incredible result. A lot of poverty and social issues come from having children before the parents can reasonably support or take care of them. This leads to neglect or resentment of the children, which affects everyone. By having young people thinking about avoiding pregnancy, that sets them up for good family planning practices. Watching the map go from purple to white, I was speechless. I'd be interested if someone was able to talk about the potential reasons. I'd be cautious to credit the government with this change. In talking to my own daughter, I think the exposure of what happens as a result of teenage pregnancy (16 and pregnant, anyone?) and the lack of a stigma against talking about it with your peers is possibly one of the biggest contributors. When I was 16/17 and having sex, and I talked to my peers about IUDs or the depo injections, it wasn't cool.

Mz 11y ago
I am not up on current stats and have never been that familiar with European trends, but, in the US, girls in some poor neighborhoods actually see their quality of life go up by having a baby in their teens because their family of origin is so poor that having a baby qualifies them for welfare benefits, allowing them to move out etc. They are still poor, and now they are trapped in long term poverty, but there are short term benefits. I have seen study results indicating that one contributor to high pregnancy rates is shame concerning sex. For some populations, this results in less use of birth control because use of birth control involves planning to have sex and if you plan it, you "must be a slut." Whereas if you are emotionally swept away and "it just happens" that is okay because it is "love." So one thing that helps is generally healthier attitudes towards sex in the general population and easier access to birth control. A big difference between teens who get pregnant and teens who don't is use of birth control. The teens who wind up pregnant aren't necessarily any more sexually active. In some cases, the two groups see comparable levels of sexual activity, but one group uses birth control and one does not.
- cheez 11y ago
  Well said.
tbarbugli 11y ago
Schools are a very a good place to learn about this stuff too :)

by cheez 11y ago

Mz 11y ago

I am not up on current stats and have never been that familiar with European trends, but, in the US, girls in some poor neighborhoods actually see their quality of life go up by having a baby in their teens because their family of origin is so poor that having a baby qualifies them for welfare benefits, allowing them to move out etc. They are still poor, and now they are trapped in long term poverty, but there are short term benefits. I have seen study results indicating that one contributor to high pregnancy rates is shame concerning sex. For some populations, this results in less use of birth control because use of birth control involves planning to have sex and if you plan it, you "must be a slut." Whereas if you are emotionally swept away and "it just happens" that is okay because it is "love." So one thing that helps is generally healthier attitudes towards sex in the general population and easier access to birth control. A big difference between teens who get pregnant and teens who don't is use of birth control. The teens who wind up pregnant aren't necessarily any more sexually active. In some cases, the two groups see comparable levels of sexual activity, but one group uses birth control and one does not.

cheez 11y ago
Well said.

tbarbugli 11y ago

Schools are a very a good place to learn about this stuff too :)