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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!floyd!whuxlb!pyuxll!eisx!npoiv!npois!hogpc!houxm!hocda!spanky!burl!duke!unc!tim
From: tim@unc.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Birth control and education
Message-ID: <5640@unc.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 31-Jul-83 23:19:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.5640
Posted: Sun Jul 31 23:19:12 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 2-Aug-83 16:56:32 EDT
References: utzoo.3124
Lines: 25


    There was an interesting article in the Charlotte Observer today,
reprinted from the Atlantic Monthly, about how there really has been
no rise in teenage pregnancies.  Actually, teenage pregnancies have
been declining ever since their peak in the mid-1950's.

    The reason for the rumors to the contrary is rooted in the units
you measure this in.  Since births in general have declined faster
than births to teenagers, there is a rise in the proportion of births
to teens, while in fact the number of teenagers giving birth has
declined when measured relative to the increase in the teenage
population.  That is, although one in every six births may be to
teenagers, the number of births per thousand teens has gone down.

    It is of course rather convenient to various self-appointed "pro-
morality" groups to convince people that the country is going to hell
in a handcart -- thus they use the more emotionally charged, but less
meaningful, statistics.

______________________________________
The overworked keyboard of Tim Maroney

duke!unc!tim (USENET)
tim.unc@udel-relay (ARPA)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill