… According to the report, teen birth rates were highest in the South and Southwest. Mississippi led the way, followed closely by New Mexico and Texas.
The only states that saw a decrease in teen birth rates were North Dakota, Rhode Island and New York. Some experts say that the reason for the rise is that today’s teenagers are less informed than their parents were.
“Believe it or not, kids today get less information in schools about birth control than their parents did,” Columbia University professor Leslie M. Kantor said.
Experts place the blame on federal programs that teach abstinence alone, in lieu of a variety of birth control options. That’s created a backlash in many states, half of which no longer accept federal money because they do not want to be restricted to abstinence-only education. …
