Ft. Myers News Press
Originally posted on December 20, 2007 

Teenage pregnancy rates appear to be rising again, but don’t let wobbles in the rate hide the central facts:

The United States has one of the worst teen pregnancy problems in the developed world, and what sets us apart is our reluctance to educate youngsters about sex and contraception.

That’s not to say that encouraging abstinence doesn’t help. It apparently reinforces the inclination of those kids who are trying to resist.

But the abstinence-only approach favored by, some religious groups — keeping sex education in the home and out of the classroom — dooms a lot of girls, especially poor ones, to unwanted pregnancies and babies they are unprepared to care for.

The News-Press has supported abstinence in the past, and we continue to believe it should be encouraged.

But we should educate children about sex, and about the health risks as well as pregnancy. Too many parents are unable or unwilling to educate their children about reproduction, or ignorant about it themselves.

It’s time Lee County and the United States realized that moral education must be accompanied by factual education.

Both are needed for intelligent choices in our sex-drenched culture.

The teen birth rate fell by 34 percent in the 14 years after 1991. It may be rising, although a clear trend has not been established.

We may have done all we can with half-hearted sex education. Time to get real.