May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, and there is reason to celebrate.

California has had the greatest reduction in teen births of any state in the nation, and teen pregnancy rates in the United States are at the lowest levels ever recorded. Studies show that young people are waiting longer to have sexual intercourse, and that when they do, they are more likely than ever before to use contraception.

But while there is cause for celebration, there is also a major concern 7 the United States still continues to have the highest teen pregnancy rate of any developed country. Nearly a million U.S. teens a year become pregnant, effectively changing their lives forever.

There are a lot of reasons why kids have kids. Perhaps they/re seeking the attention of inattentive parents, or trying to pull themselves out of an abusive family situation. Many times, they just don/t know enough about the consequences of sexual intercourse, both in the context of sexually transmitted diseases and the potential for getting pregnant.

Whatever the reason, everyone from parents to doctors to economists knows that a teen/s life being interrupted by a pregnancy is often a detriment to the teen, her family and the overall economy.

There is a philosophical struggle taking place in America, the outcome of which may determine teen pregnancy rates in the future.

The federal government currently is spending about ,150 million a year on "abstinence-only-until-marriage" programs. The idea may be valid but the realty is that such programs essentially withhold valuable information about contraception and safer sex. Studies show that such programs generally do not delay people from having sex before marriage, but make them less likely to use contraception.

To its credit, California is the only state that has turned down these abstinence-only funds 7 and it is enjoying the greatest reduction in teen pregnancy rates.

There/s a reason for that. California has embarked on a course encouraging parents to support their children and be more involved in their lives. The objective is to make youngsters feel good about themselves so they won/t think they have to use sex or parenthood to feel valued and loved.

It has been proven over and over again that teens are drawn to sex. It was true a century ago, and it/s true today. Rather than fight the laws of biology and nature, parents should spend more time with their teens, talk to and mentor them. Teens are, after all, our future.

May 3, 2005