Teen Pregnancy is Social Issue in Utah
Adriana Herrera
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Community
In Utah, adolescent pregnancy is a persistent health and social problem that has serious consequences for the community.
Last week was "Teen Pregnancy Awareness Week." Qrystal Hamilton, diversity chair for SLCC's Clubs and Organizations, was planning a presentation Thursday afternoon on how to prevent unintended pregnancies. The speaker she scheduled had a last-minute emergency and was unable to make it.
Teen births in Utah account for approximately 11 percent of all births in the state. In 1997, teens ages 15-19 gave birth to over 4,000 infants. Until recently, rates had remained fairly stable since the early 1980s.
There are currently 5,660 teenage pregnancies in Utah each year--73 percent of which result in live births and another 11 percent result in abortions. Although these numbers are very high, Utah's teenage pregnancy rate declined by 18 percent between 1992 and 2000.
Hamilton says that public schools are not doing a good job at educating teens on unwanted pregnancies, STDs or contraception. "Abstinence is great, but reality is, kids are having sex," she said.
Twenty years ago, most teen births in Utah were to married couples. Today, more than half of the births of teens aged 15-19 occurred outside of a marriage. Many teens are not putting there infants up for adoption as often as it was being done in the 60s. Only 4 percent of Utah teens place their infants into adoptive care. Also, Utah teens are less likely than any other teen in the nation to abort their unborn child.
Hamilton states that public schools seem to only teach abstinence and leave out any other important information. According to The Guttmacher Institute, an institute that advances sexual and reproductive health worldwide, 306,530 Utah women are in need of contraceptives. Of these, 153,830 women need publicly supported contraceptive services because they have incomes below the federal poverty level or because they are sexually active teens.
Last week was "Teen Pregnancy Awareness Week." Qrystal Hamilton, diversity chair for SLCC's Clubs and Organizations, was planning a presentation Thursday afternoon on how to prevent unintended pregnancies. The speaker she scheduled had a last-minute emergency and was unable to make it.
Teen births in Utah account for approximately 11 percent of all births in the state. In 1997, teens ages 15-19 gave birth to over 4,000 infants. Until recently, rates had remained fairly stable since the early 1980s.
There are currently 5,660 teenage pregnancies in Utah each year--73 percent of which result in live births and another 11 percent result in abortions. Although these numbers are very high, Utah's teenage pregnancy rate declined by 18 percent between 1992 and 2000.
Hamilton says that public schools are not doing a good job at educating teens on unwanted pregnancies, STDs or contraception. "Abstinence is great, but reality is, kids are having sex," she said.
Twenty years ago, most teen births in Utah were to married couples. Today, more than half of the births of teens aged 15-19 occurred outside of a marriage. Many teens are not putting there infants up for adoption as often as it was being done in the 60s. Only 4 percent of Utah teens place their infants into adoptive care. Also, Utah teens are less likely than any other teen in the nation to abort their unborn child.
Hamilton states that public schools seem to only teach abstinence and leave out any other important information. According to The Guttmacher Institute, an institute that advances sexual and reproductive health worldwide, 306,530 Utah women are in need of contraceptives. Of these, 153,830 women need publicly supported contraceptive services because they have incomes below the federal poverty level or because they are sexually active teens.
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