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Teen birth rate hits all-time low, led by 50% decline among Hispanics and blacks

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Teen birth rate hits all-time low, led by 50% decline among Hispanics and blacks

#21

Post by gozur88 »

Aelinsaar wrote: post #5

"The first is the most important and may be obvious: Today's teens enjoy better access to contraception and more convenient contraception than their predecessors, and more of them are taking advantage of innovations like long-acting injectable and implantable methods that can last years over a daily birth control pill. But the second cause is something that goes against the conventional wisdom. It's that teens -- des…

How much actual evidence is there that this has anything to do with contraception? I'm getting old now, and from what I can tell contraception was just as available when I was a teen as it is now.

Re: Teen birth rate hits all-time low, led by 50% decline among Hispanics and blacks

#22

Post by BinaryIdiot »

orky56 wrote: post #20
gozur88 wrote: post #18

I wonder how big a role obesity plays in all of this. It may be that teens are having less sex because so many of them have effectively taken themselves out of the sexual marketplace.

Are you referring to obesity in terms of attractiveness or ability to conceive?

I'm not parent but I wonder if it could be both? Though I think the former was the original intent but I hadn't thought about the latter.

Re: Teen birth rate hits all-time low, led by 50% decline among Hispanics and blacks

#23

Post by levemi »

gozur88 wrote: post #18

I wonder how big a role obesity plays in all of this. It may be that teens are having less sex because so many of them have effectively taken themselves out of the sexual marketplace.

> because so many of them

Is this based on your personal observation or are you referencing some known well established statistical fact.

Re: Teen birth rate hits all-time low, led by 50% decline among Hispanics and blacks

#24

Post by orky56 »

BinaryIdiot wrote: post #22
orky56 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you referring to obesity in terms of attractiveness or ability to conceive?

I'm not parent but I wonder if it could be both? Though I think the former was the original intent but I hadn't thought about the latter.

My wild hypothesis is that teens may be more aware of the rising cost of parenthood and may rationally be avoiding the situation altogether.

Re: Teen birth rate hits all-time low, led by 50% decline among Hispanics and blacks

#25

Post by nness »

gozur88 wrote: post #18

I wonder how big a role obesity plays in all of this. It may be that teens are having less sex because so many of them have effectively taken themselves out of the sexual marketplace.

Seriously? It would have such an absolutely negligible effect that the only thing more conclusive is your bias.

The article mentions that is is mostly believed to be a combination of investment in effective and health programs.

Re: Teen birth rate hits all-time low, led by 50% decline among Hispanics and blacks

#26

Post by BinaryIdiot »

gozur88 wrote: post #21
Aelinsaar wrote: post #5

"The first is the most important and may be obvious: Today's teens enjoy better access to contraception and more convenient contraception than their predecessors, and more of them are taking advantage of innovations like long-acting injectable and implantable methods that can last years over a daily birth control pill. But the second cause is something that goes against the conventional wisdom. It's that teens -- des…

How much actual evidence is there that this has anything to do with contraception? I'm getting old now, and from what I can tell contraception was just as available when I was a teen as it is now.

Education probably plays a good part in it. When I was growing up, and I'm only 30, we didn't get much sexual education in school, were taught to simply not have sex and many of my friends thought many untruths like pulling out is fine, douching is a form of contraception and even one unfortunate friend who thought ziplock bags were just as effective as condoms.

Re: Teen birth rate hits all-time low, led by 50% decline among Hispanics and blacks

#27

Post by gozur88 »

orky56 wrote: post #20
gozur88 wrote: post #18

I wonder how big a role obesity plays in all of this. It may be that teens are having less sex because so many of them have effectively taken themselves out of the sexual marketplace.

Are you referring to obesity in terms of attractiveness or ability to conceive?

I was just thinking in terms of attractiveness. Kids today have an unlimited supply of videos of beautiful people having sex. Not only are their expectations rising, but their choice of attractive mates is falling.

Re: Teen birth rate hits all-time low, led by 50% decline among Hispanics and blacks

#28

Post by gozur88 »

levemi wrote: post #23
gozur88 wrote: post #18

I wonder how big a role obesity plays in all of this. It may be that teens are having less sex because so many of them have effectively taken themselves out of the sexual marketplace.

> because so many of them Is this based on your personal observation or are you referencing some known well established statistical fact.

Surely it's not a secret obesity rates have been rising steadily over time?

Re: Teen birth rate hits all-time low, led by 50% decline among Hispanics and blacks

#29

Post by ZoF »

nness wrote: post #25
gozur88 wrote: post #18

I wonder how big a role obesity plays in all of this. It may be that teens are having less sex because so many of them have effectively taken themselves out of the sexual marketplace.

Seriously? It would have such an absolutely negligible effect that the only thing more conclusive is your bias. The article mentions that is is mostly believed to be a combination of investment in effective and health programs.

How can you say that with such certainty? People who feel fat don't want to have sex as often.

You don't think that's true?

Note: I said people who _feel_ fat, not people who _are_ fat.

Re: Teen birth rate hits all-time low, led by 50% decline among Hispanics and blacks

#30

Post by Retric »

BinaryIdiot wrote: post #26
gozur88 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much actual evidence is there that this has anything to do with contraception? I'm getting old now, and from what I can tell contraception was just as available when I was a teen as it is now.

Education probably plays a good part in it. When I was growing up, and I'm only 30, we didn't get much sexual education in school, were taught to simply not have sex and many of my friends thought many untruths like pulling out is fine, douching is a form of contraception and even one unfortunate friend who thought ziplock bags were just as effective as condoms.

I am 35 and in the US we had very detailed sex ed including how to use a condom, how wide the contraceptive window was ect starting around 12ish. IMO, this is really more an issue with many local schools being horrible than anything else.
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