On Aug 1, 2022, at 9:48 PM, Emily Mae via groups.io <emily.mae50@...> wrote:

?On Sun, Jul 31, 2022 at 05:31 PM, Steve Sundur wrote:

I asked, simply, "Why do you think so many black girls have babies while they are still teenagers, or in their very early twenties"

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Steve, if you look it up, you'll find the problem is not limited to "black girls."? Here is your answer pursuant to a 2015 article.? Notice, btw, no "men" are mentioned here.? Want to hazard a guess???

BTW, teen pregnancy rates are down across the board since then.?

But when you look at actual rates, they demonstrate a stark reality: Girls of color are much more likely to become pregnant.

Among non-Hispanic white teens, the birth rate in 2013 was 19 births per 1,000, while among black teens, it was 39 births per 1,000. Latina teens have the highest birth rate, at 42 births per 1,000 teens. The birth rate for Native American teens was 31 births per 1,000, while among Asian/Pacific Islander teens, the birth rate was 9 births per 1,000. ?

Poverty plays a big role in high teen birth rates, as does geography. Rural teens have higher rates of pregnancy than do urban and suburban teens. Southern states, which tend to be poorer and have the highest rates of HIV infections, also report the highest number of teen births. Education and access to contraceptives play a larger role in teen pregnancy rates than do cultural or religious differences, teen advocates suggest.

“When you look at these disparities, it has a lot more to do with a lack of opportunity than with the color of your skin,” Albert said.

Poor teens of color are less likely to have access to quality health care and contraceptive services, and are much more likely to live in neighborhoods where jobs and opportunities for advancement are scarce, according to Gail Wyatt, a clinical psychologist and sex researcher at UCLA.

“We’re talking about income; we’re talking about sub-par education …? with no education about sex and your body,” Wyatt said. “This pretty much leaves these girls extremely vulnerable…. It’s simply an incompatible combination of circumstances that these girls are involved and captured in.”

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Em