"A report this week in the journal Reproductive Health describes what researchers call “a strong association” between the teenage birth rate of a particular state and its “level of religiosity.”

The correlation is not what you might expect. The more religious the state, the higher the rates of teen pregnancy.

Joseph Strayhorn, an adjunct faculty member with Drexel University and the University of Pittsburgh, and Jillian Strayhorn reached their conclusions by analyzing data from the Pew Forum’s US Religious Landscapes Survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first asks respondents to agree or disagree with such statements as ‘There is only one way to interpret the teachings of my religion’ or ‘Scripture should be taken literally, word for word’. The second tracks the rate of teen pregnancy in every state from year to year.

How to explain the disconnect? It could be that more religious teens are having sex than less religious teens, hence more of them become pregnant. It could also be that the percentage of teens who become pregnant in each state is similar, but the percentage who terminate in the less religious states is higher, leading to more reported pregnancies and births (although the authors did take some steps to adjust for that.) Or it could be, Strayhorn suggests, “that religious communities in the US are more successful in discouraging the use of contraception among their teenagers than they are in discouraging sexual intercourse itself”."

More at source: Religion’s Link to Teen Pregnancy - Motherlode Blog - NYTimes.com (http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/religions-link-to-teen-pregnancy/)

"A report this week in the journal Reproductive Health describes what researchers call “a strong association” between the teenage birth rate of a particular state and its “level of religiosity.”

The correlation is not what you might expect. The more religious the state, the higher the rates of teen pregnancy.

Joseph Strayhorn, an adjunct faculty member with Drexel University and the University of Pittsburgh, and Jillian Strayhorn reached their conclusions by analyzing data from the Pew Forum’s US Religious Landscapes Survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first asks respondents to agree or disagree with such statements as ‘There is only one way to interpret the teachings of my religion’ or ‘Scripture should be taken literally, word for word’. The second tracks the rate of teen pregnancy in every state from year to year.

How to explain the disconnect? It could be that more religious teens are having sex than less religious teens, hence more of them become pregnant. It could also be that the percentage of teens who become pregnant in each state is similar, but the percentage who terminate in the less religious states is higher, leading to more reported pregnancies and births (although the authors did take some steps to adjust for that.) Or it could be, Strayhorn suggests, “that religious communities in the US are more successful in discouraging the use of contraception among their teenagers than they are in discouraging sexual intercourse itself”."

More at source: Religion’s Link to Teen Pregnancy - Motherlode Blog - NYTimes.com (http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/religions-link-to-teen-pregnancy/)

From the article:
It could also be that the percentage of teens who become pregnant in each state is similar, but the percentage who terminate in the less religious states is higher, leading to more reported pregnancies and births (although the authors did take some steps to adjust for that.)

Perhaps, as the article infers: Pregnancy rate is similar but the rate of abortions is higher in less religious states. Thus, pregnant teen mothers in religious states tend to keep their child even with parental permssion rather than terminate the life of the unborn child as would likely be more acceptable in less religious states.

Nope. The problem is they preach abstinence only..ignoring biology..and teens get pregnant because they don't have easy access to condoms or the pill. that is easy enough to see. most women that get abortions arent young people..so i dont see that being the issue. It may contribute. I went ot a catholic college (not catholic myself) there were girls that felt more guilty about using the pill..then they did about having sex! Backwards and ridiculous.

"A report this week in the journal Reproductive Health describes what researchers call “a strong association” between the teenage birth rate of a particular state and its “level of religiosity.”

The correlation is not what you might expect. The more religious the state, the higher the rates of teen pregnancy.

...

More at source: Religion’s Link to Teen Pregnancy - Motherlode Blog - NYTimes.com (http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/religions-link-to-teen-pregnancy/)
:popcorn: That link does not function for me, but it is not required as the point is given.

What I see as missing in that is seeing an active God involved in this.

Having babies is a blessing from God and babies are a blessing.

Those are fortunate and blessed teenagers - so just see the blessings.

It is only a negative report if one sees babies as a cursing or in some negative view.

Babies rock. :yahoo:

You just really dont belong around children at all.
God help you if you ever came within 10 feet of my daughter.

"A report this week in the journal Reproductive Health describes what researchers call “a strong association” between the teenage birth rate of a particular state and its “level of religiosity.”

The correlation is not what you might expect. The more religious the state, the higher the rates of teen pregnancy.

Joseph Strayhorn, an adjunct faculty member with Drexel University and the University of Pittsburgh, and Jillian Strayhorn reached their conclusions by analyzing data from the Pew Forum’s US Religious Landscapes Survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first asks respondents to agree or disagree with such statements as ‘There is only one way to interpret the teachings of my religion’ or ‘Scripture should be taken literally, word for word’. The second tracks the rate of teen pregnancy in every state from year to year.

How to explain the disconnect? It could be that more religious teens are having sex than less religious teens, hence more of them become pregnant. It could also be that the percentage of teens who become pregnant in each state is similar, but the percentage who terminate in the less religious states is higher, leading to more reported pregnancies and births (although the authors did take some steps to adjust for that.) Or it could be, Strayhorn suggests, “that religious communities in the US are more successful in discouraging the use of contraception among their teenagers than they are in discouraging sexual intercourse itself”."Maybe the atheists in religious states are even more unhappy than those in states with a lower religious atmosphere, so they screw more.... :shrug:

Since the study does nothing to corrolate the religious belief of those getting pregnant, this is kind of like saying that there are more pregnancies per capita where there are more farms per capita, so farming must lead to pregnancy.

It's a pointless conclusion drawn from bits of unconnected data.