Adolescent pregnancy: black and white.

According to recent data from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the United States leads nearly all other developed nations of the world in rates of teenage pregnancy, abortion and child-bearing even though it has comparable rates of sexual activity. Data show that this top-ranked status is not due to the high rates of pregnancy and parenthood among minority teens alone. Pregnancy rates for white teenagers are twice as high as those of Canada, France, and England. Moreover, the maximum difference in birth rates by race occurs among girls under 15, the most vulnerable teenagers. International data make it clear that the enormous costs of adolescent parenthood for teen parents, their children and society are not the inevitable outcomes of increased adolescent sexual activity. These costs represent inability as a society to deal in a preventive way with the implications of that increase, to provide adequate and comprehensive sex education, and to give sexually active teens easy access to family planning services and counseling. Many object to giving teenagers the capacity to delay parenthood while unsuccessfully imploring them to delay sexual activity. Withholding sex education and family planning services has not led to less teenage sexual activity in the U.S. Conversely, the provision of needed information and services in Europe and Canada has not resulted in increased sexual activity, but in heightened sexual responsibility. The costs of adolescent parenthood fall disproportionately on those least able to support them, teens from low-income/minority families and teens with poor basic skills and poor employment potential. They initiate sexual activity earlier than more advantaged teens and have poorer access to information and services.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)