Miss. has highest teen pregnancy rates in the U.S.
Adamczyk says the idea that anti-contraception principles could be behind the link is controversial, as studies on the topic have varied results. “The idea is that in the heat of the moment, a young woman who has said, ‘I’m going to be a virgin on my wedding night,’ is with her boyfriend and she says ‘Let’s just do it.’ And since they didn’t plan it, nobody has a condom. And so it increases their chances of a pregnancy,” Adamczyk said.
Earlier marriage among religious individuals could also partly explain the finding.
“In the south, there is a higher rate of marriage of teenagers. And one possible explanation is just that in the southern states, which are also more religious, people just get married earlier and have planned pregnancies and those have perfectly good outcomes,” Strayhorn said. He added that he doesn’t think the earlier marriage idea explains the religion-birth link.
Top 10 states with highest teen birth rates:
Mississippi New Mexico Texas Arkansas Arizona Oklahoma Nevada Tennessee Kentucky Georgia
Top 10 most conservatively religious states:
Mississippi Alabama South Carolina Tennessee Louisiana Utah Arkansas North Carolina Kentucky Oklahoma
yahoo news
9/21/9
