Teenage Pregnancy Prevention: Putting the Health of Utah’s Youth First

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The biology of the human reproductive system has been studied for hundreds of years, nevertheless, teenagers today are increasingly ignorant when it comes to their own reproductive health. The existence of misconceptions about their bodies, as well as how pregnancy occurs and how to prevent it, are common among teenagers, but these fallacies have a higher concentration among Utah teens according to an article published January 31, 2012, in the Salt Lake Tribune, citing research conducted by the CDC. According to the data, more than 53 percent (higher than the national average) of Utah teens ages 15–17 who had given birth were not using any form of contraception. Still, 49 percent believed they couldn’t get pregnant at the time. Even more alarming is that nearly 24 percent believed they or their partner was sterile, a percentage three times higher than the national rate.

Reason Did Not Use Contraception: Ages 15–17. Source: CDC report “Prepregnancy Contraceptive Use Among Teens with Unintended Pregnancies Resulting in Live Births — Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2004–2008”

Even though Utah has long been known for its promotion of “family values”, which includes chastity and abstaining from sexual relations until marriage, Utah teenagers are still making the decision to have sex, and consequently becoming pregnant. The Office of Adolescent Health reports that 19.4 out of every 1,000 Utah females ages 15–19 gave birth in 2014. That year the state of Utah ranked 37 out of 51 (50 states plus the District of Columbia) on teen birth rates, where 1 represents the highest rate and 51 represents the lowest rate. While the birth rate in Utah has dropped slightly over the last few years, it is still higher than 13 other states in the U.S., including Washington and New York, who mandate comprehensive sexuality education for its youth.

Teenage Birth Rates for 15–19 Year Olds by State, 2014. Source: Office of Adolescent Health https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/teen-pregnancy/trends.html

In addition to teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and infections are on the rise among adolescents ages 15–24. The Office of Adolescent Health also reports that these individuals make-up one-fourth of the sexually active population, but account for more than half of all new STD and STI infections. The Deseret News reported in June of 2016 that Salt Lake County has seen a 400% increase in annual gonorrhea cases since 2011, and those numbers continue to rise. Experts say these findings suggest that the infection, which is spread through sexual contact, has gone viral. Aside from being a public health crisis affecting our teenagers and young adults, it can also lead to infertility if contracted and left untreated.

Gonorrhea cases as reported by Salt Lake County Health Department

The prevalence of pregnant youth, and the rise of STDs and STIs proves it is ever more important that Utah adopt a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum in order to eliminate mistaken beliefs and give its young men and women the knowledge necessary to make healthy decisions concerning their bodies and relationships now and in the future…for the sake of their future. Unfortunately, the Utah State Legislature has voted down bills two years in a row that would have addressed this issue, in favor of the current abstinence-only laws. Legislators citied “religious principles” as the basis for their votes, even though the most recent bill, HB215, attempted to circumvent that issue by making it an “opt-in” education.

Research conducted by the University of Washington found that adolescents who received comprehensive sex education were 60% less likely to become pregnant than those who received no sex education, and 50% less likely than those who received abstinence-only education. A 2008 article from the Seattle Times mentions the University of Washington’s findings and also reported that in 2007 Washington passed a law that sex education must be scientific and comprehensive. Since the updated sex-ed law went into effect there, the teenage birth rate has dropped 47% over the following 7 years. Similarly, when New York passed their comprehensive sex education bill in 2011, they saw a 24% drop in the teen birth rate over the next 3 years.

Comprehensive sexuality education goes beyond discussions strictly pertaining to the act of sex and contraceptive methods by expanding teachings to include age appropriate information, deemed medically accurate, about the mental, emotional, and social impacts of a sexual relationship. Also critical to the comprehensive approach is the topic of consent, which statistics garnered by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center show is a growing concern as 1 in 5 women are sexually assaulted while in college. This inclusive way of teaching sexuality education provides our youth with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions and protect themselves from unhealthy situations that put them at risk of contracting an STD or STI, having unplanned pregnancies, or becoming victims of sexual assault. Furthermore, a comprehensive sex education ultimately promotes abstinence from sexual relations but takes into consideration the future sexual activity of the student.

One of the heaviest consequences of an improper sexual education is teenage pregnancy, which has negative consequences that reach far beyond the life of the young mother. The effects ripple throughout the lives of everyone involved, including the child, but also impact the community byway of increased incarceration rates of the children who are born to teenage mothers and also the increased use of public assistance programs, paid for by taxpayers. It’s time we confront the serious and complex issues facing our children in a way that puts their health above abstinence-only cultural principles. We must allow for the provision of comprehensive sexuality and reproductive health education in our schools to protect the integrity of our children’s future.