Welcome to your Friday open thread. All I can say is TGIF! Plus, there’s 11 days to go until the election. I hope you’re out there urging your friends and colleagues to vote for Chris Coons and John Carney.
The Hill published a story about the drop in teen pregnancy rates and the increasing difference between regions. I’m sure you’re shocked to hear that those immoral liberal states have lower teen pregnancy rates. Apparently prayer & ignorance is not an effective form of birth control.
Although national teen-pregnancy rates are on the decline, the disparities between states are often dramatic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Wednesday.
Some women’s health advocates say the discrepancies are indication that comprehensive sex-education programs are producing results for states that offer them, while states emphasizing abstinence-only programs aren’t faring as well.
Whatever the reason, the regional disparities are stark. In Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, for instance, 2008 birth rates were less than 25 per 1,000 teens aged 15 to 19, CDC found. In the same year, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas all had rates topping 60 per 1,000 teens.
Mississippi had the country’s highest rate (65.7), CDC says, while New Hampshire had the lowest (19.8).
The article also shows the 5 states with highest rates are all abstinence-only states. Of course, that won’t keep the bedroom police from screaming bloody murder if school districts try to move to comprehensive sex education.
Is Glenn Beck’s star dimming? An appearance in South Dakota has sold only 10% of the available tickets.
So many good seats, in fact, that ticket prices were just slashed. The event’s organizer claims the prices were cut after the group “received a large donation from the South Dakota Campaign For Liberty,” and that more than 1,000 tickets” have been sold. The Civic Center holds approximately 10,000 people.
I’d like to think his unhinged conspiracy-mongering is driving people away. Perhaps it is but he still has plenty of fans. Too many for my comfort.