The dramatic declines in teenage pregnancy (pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the uterus. Medically, someone is considered to be pregnant when an egg has been fertilized by sperm, cells divide, and the fertilized egg is implanted within the lining of the uterus.) rates noted in the United States between 1995 and 2002 were largely due to improved contraceptive use, not to abstinence (abstinence: The choice not to have sex.) , a new study showsexternal link, opens in a new tab.
The article goes into far more detail but I just want to point out (out: Short for ‘out of the closet’. When someone’s LGBTQ+ identity is known to other people.) that this is evidence that teens can and do make responsible choices when choosing to be sexually active (sexually active: Someone who has had or is currently having some kind of genital sex with a partner or partners.) . Indeed, contraceptive use accounted for 86% of the drop whereas abstinence can only claim 14%.
In a perfect world, this study would be all that’s necessary to make over the counter emergency contraception (emergency contraception: A method of contraception used to prevent pregnancy after sex or rape has already occurred, rather than used before or during, like most types of contraception. Includes emergency contraception pills and IUDs.) available to those under the age of 18. It would also encourage the government to make contraceptives more easily available and even promote their use with factual information instead of the scare tactics/disinformation that is currently being passed as sex (sex: Different things people choose to do to actively express or enact sexuality and sexual feelings; often this involves genitals, but not always. ) ed. I’m not holding my breath for any of that but I do have faith that the STI (STI: Sexually transmitted infections: illness, infection and/or disease which is often or can be transmitted through sexual or other intimate contact, like HIV, Chlamydia or Herpes. Some people call STIs STDs.) rate (currently about 1 in 4) can be lowered the same way – that is by more consistent safer sex (safer sex: Practices which aim to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections, such as use of latex/nonlatex barriers, regular testing for infections and limiting the number of sexual partners.) .