Teen pregnancy and disease rates rose sharply during Bush years, agency finds

• Aids cases in adolescent boys have nearly doubled
• Fall in gonorrhea infection rate reversed

Teenage pregnancies and syphilis have risen sharply among a generation of American school girls who were urged to avoid sex before marriage under George Bush's evangelically-driven education policy, according to a new report by the US's major public health body.

In a report that will surprise few of Bush's critics on the issue, the Centres for Disease Control says years of falling rates of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease infections under previous administrations were reversed or stalled in the Bush years. According to the CDC, birth rates among teenagers aged 15 or older had been in decline since 1991 but are up sharply in more than half of American states since 2005. The study also revealed that the number of teenage females with syphilis has risen by nearly half after a significant decrease while a two-decade fall in the gonorrhea infection rate is being reversed. The number of Aids cases in adolescent boys has nearly doubled.

The CDC says that southern states, where there is often the greatest emphasis on abstinence and religion, tend to have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs.

In addition, about 16,000 pregnancies were reported among 10- to 14-year-old girls in 2004 and a similar number of young people in the age group reported having a sexually transmitted disease.

"It is disheartening that after years of improvement with respect to teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, we now see signs that progress is stalling and many of these trends are going in the wrong direction," said Janet Collins, a CDC director.

Although the CDC does not attribute a cause, groups that support comprehensive sex education have seized on the report as evidence of the failure of religiously-driven policies that shy away from teaching about contraception in favour of emphasising avoiding sexual contact.

Planned Parenthood said the CDC report is "alarming" and confirms that teenagers need "medically accurate, age-appropriate, comprehensive sex education".

But supporters of abstinence-based education said that the new report shows that there is too little not too much emphasis on discouraging sex before marriage.

Kristi Hamrick, a spokeswoman for American Values, which describes itself as a supporter of traditional marriage and "against liberal education and cultural forces", said the abstinence message is overwhelmed by a culture obsessed with sex.

"It is ridiculous to say that a programme we nominally invest in has failed when it fails to overcome the most sexualised culture in world history. Education that emphasises abstinence as the best option for teens makes up a minuscule part of overall sex education in the United States," she said.

"In every other area of public policy - food, drugs, alcohol - we tell children what is the best choice. It seems very bizarre that the sex education establishment rejects the idea that we should talk to kids about what is best for them. We don't take vodka to drivers education because children will drink and drive."

Didn't see this one coming. Hey way to increase the number of abortions there Republicans.

Wait!! I thought is was the rise in sexual content of TV, music, movies, etc. that is causing this. Now you tell me it's not the media's fault. It's GWB that's responsible for all these pregnant teenage girls. He must have been very busy
Bet ole Bill is green with envy

Earl, I really think the reasons are kids have less parental supervison now with both parents working and sexual taboos are viewed much differently than when I was a teenager. Take the Stanley intern affair discussed here. It's not a new thing. But, back then the press would just let it go. You see the same thing with Mickey Mantle and his press vs. Alex Rodriguez and his coverage.
It's a gotcha world now.

Wait!! I thought is was the rise in sexual content of TV, music, movies, etc. that is causing this. Now you tell me it's not the media's fault. It's GWB that's responsible for all these pregnant teenage girls. He must have been very busy

Teen pregnancies in Canada at all-time low

The rate of teen pregnancies in Canada has hit an all-time low and has fallen more dramatically than in the United States and England over the last three decades, says new research published.

'm amused at the idea that the anti sex ed states have such higher consumption of sexualized materials than the northern states, and that somehow causes the north to have a lower teen pregnancy rate. (or socialist canuckistan for that matter).

Is it sex education? Parenting? Does Canada allow the use of hormones in their live stock feed? Is it abstinence?

Sex ed really, my country while currently being run by a conservative minority has not had it's education hijacked by the "world was made in 6000 years, and sex is bad bad bad, and we're not telling you how to protect yourself" crowd.

Well call this another piece of evidence to throw in the face of the "abstinence only" brigade. The results are in for the results of the Bush Administrations big push on this issue. Here is a hint, Bristol is with company.

I hear Bush is also responsible for an increase in pig farts in Iowa, a rise in the occurrence of ingrown toenails, and a sharp increase in the dung beetle population - but I think it's really the liberals on that last one...

Just keep blaming everything you can on Bush though... People will remember it when our nation practically falls apart under Obama...

It does not appear that facts impress you, you perfer to run around in a perpetual state of hatred that's a big reason we are in the trouble we are in. If president Obama is able to bring us out of this depressed economy he inherited from the previous administration it will be a testament to his insight and determination. Your pure hatred is not isolated to you, it's apparent that it is wide spread throughout your party, it's evident that you would sacrifice the country to ensure the failure of President Obama and his administration

I hear Bush is also responsible for an increase in pig farts in Iowa, a rise in the occurrence of ingrown toenails, and a sharp increase in the dung beetle population -

For Big Hog Farms, Big Subsidies
Taxpayers May Foot the Bill for Environmental Cleanup
John Lancaster / Washington Post 17aug01
L.D. Black and Robert Butler raise 6,000 pigs



But prosperity has an unpleasant byproduct. Besides the stench that sometimes wafts into neighboring subdivisions, the untreated waste that hog farmers store in open lagoons and spray onto their fields has sparked broad concern about potential threats to streams and drinking water.

It isn't Bush's fault your party chose to elect such a polarizing President. He didn't force you to elect a socialist who spends TRILLIONS and TRILLIONS of other people's money like it's water.... Bush didn't cause your heavy handed majority to pull all the crap they've pulled...

Get over it the people elected a President who has real leadership capabilities and loves his country

remember as your spewing forth with your hatred that we are all going to swim or sink together

What does any of this have to do with knocked up teenagers?

Same old BS if you can't dispute the facts change the subject, it appears that abstinence does not lead to fewer teen pregnancy and it does appear that sex ed works pretty well for our Canadian neighbors.