South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
February 12, 2008

ISSUE: Rate of teen repeat births declines.

A teenager with one baby is a struggle. Add one, two or three more
children to the stroller and the potential for socio-economic setbacks
increases exponentially.

That's why news that Broward County multiple births among teens have
fallen faster than the state or nation is reason to celebrate. Teen
pregnancy programs set up by the health department and other
organizations are obviously working, and should be continued and
expanded.
Nationally, about 25 percent of teens give birth to a second child
within two years of their first pregnancy, according to the National
Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Repeat births account for 1 in 5
teen births. That's 85,000 births a year that make it more difficult
for teen mothers to finish school and financially support their
families, forcing many into a life of poverty.

The good news is that multiple birth rates have been falling nationally since 1990.

The Broward County Health Department attributes local success to
teen health clinics and family planning programs. Florida teens also
are using more condoms, according to recent statistics. Sixty-seven
percent of sexually active teens use them, according to a 2005 study.
Another 13 percent use birth control pills.

At the same time, youths are hopefully learning that abstinence is
also a viable option, and the most sure-proof way of avoiding an
unwanted pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases. Sexual intimacy
requires maturity and those that recklessly or cavalierly engage in it
could bear emotional and psychological scars not recorded by
statistics.

But federally funded abstinence-only programs have proven that a
no-sex message is not enough. The nation's overall teen birthrate rose
for the first time in 15 years between 2005 and 2006, according to U.S.
government statisticians. Many health experts blame the increased
federal funding on abstinence-only programs that do not teach how to
use condoms and other contraception.

For now, we bask in the decline of multiple teen births. But it's no time for complacency.

BOTTOM LINE: Programs that educate teens about family planning deserve credit, and must continue.