Posted on 03/04/2004 6:58:04 PM PST by Coleus
Edited on 07/06/2004 6:39:34 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
NJ is #1
New Jersey has the highest teenage abortion rate of any state, surpassing even New York, according to a report released by a national organization that studies reproductive issues.
New Jersey recorded 47 abortions per 1,000 girls and women ages 15 to 19, posting the highest statewide teenage abortion rate of any state for 2000, the latest time period for which state-by-state data were available.
New York followed closely with 46 abortions per 1,000, according to the report, “U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics,” released by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, which studies sexual and reproductive issues.
The District of Columbia actually had the highest teen abortion rate in the country, at 55 abortions per 1,000. Maryland, California and Nevada also posted high abortion rates, while teenagers in Utah, South Dakota, Kentucky and North Dakota had the lowest abortion rates, according to the report.
In the report, New Jersey posted the highest abortion rates among black teens, 116 per 1,000. Pregnancy rates per 1,000 black girls and women ages 15-19 were also highest in New Jersey - 209 per 1,000 - followed by Wisconsin, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Oregon.
Black teens also experienced the steepest decline in the pregnancy rate as a group, falling 32 percent between 1990 and 2000. White teens saw a decline of 28 percent during the same period. The pregnancy rate for Hispanic teens also fell, from 138 per 1,000 teenagers in 2,000, down from 170 per 1,000 teenagers in 1992.
Overall, rates of pregnancy, birth and abortion among U.S. teenagers continued their downward trend in 2000. The teenage pregnancy rate in the United States declined nationwide by 2 percent from 1999 to 2000, from 85.7 to 83.6 pregnancies per 1,000 teens ages 15-19.
David Landry, senior research associate at the institute, attributed most of the decline to improved contraceptive use among teens and said some teens also were choosing to delay sexual intercourse.
“It’s very encouraging news,” he said.
Anti-abortion groups immediately laid the blame for New Jersey’s high teen abortion rate at the doorstep of those who support the practice.
“Through their collusion with activist courts to undermine the will of the people and usurp legislative and parental authority, they bear full responsibility for the teen abortion epidemic in New Jersey,” said Marie Tasy, public and legislative affairs director for New Jersey Right to Life.
Tasy suggested that funding be cut from the state budget for family planning services, contending these groups are using taxpayer money to promote their “abortion on demand” agenda.
“To throw more money into programs that have demonstrably failed is a gross misuse of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars,” she said.
But Phyllis Kinsler, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey, said healthy, planned pregnancies stem from accurate education and access to family planning services. She said New Jersey already has seen reductions in state funding for family planning. In addition, she said, “comprehensive medically accurate sex education” has been cut in favor of more “abstinence-only” programs.
“I think we ought to be focusing on preventing unintended pregnancies for all ages, all races, all classes, because the healthiest pregnancies are those that are planned and chosen,” she said.
bttt
Yep, I live there.
Well, here in downtown we are a mixture of Manhattan/Brooklyn (hipster, not guido) Refugees, Indian IT workers and Chinese college students. Most of the rest of the city is a dump, however.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.