The Best Intentions

The Best Intentions
Author: Committee on Unintended Pregnancy
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 393
Release: 1995-06-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309556376

Experts estimate that nearly 60 percent of all U.S. pregnancies--and 81 percent of pregnancies among adolescents--are unintended. Yet the topic of preventing these unintended pregnancies has long been treated gingerly because of personal sensitivities and public controversies, especially the angry debate over abortion. Additionally, child welfare advocates long have overlooked the connection between pregnancy planning and the improved well-being of families and communities that results when children are wanted. Now, current issues--health care and welfare reform, and the new international focus on population--are drawing attention to the consequences of unintended pregnancy. In this climate The Best Intentions offers a timely exploration of family planning issues from a distinguished panel of experts. This committee sheds much-needed light on the questions and controversies surrounding unintended pregnancy. The book offers specific recommendations to put the United States on par with other developed nations in terms of contraceptive attitudes and policies, and it considers the effectiveness of over 20 pregnancy prevention programs. The Best Intentions explores problematic definitions--"unintended" versus "unwanted" versus "mistimed"--and presents data on pregnancy rates and trends. The book also summarizes the health and social consequences of unintended pregnancies, for both men and women, and for the children they bear. Why does unintended pregnancy occur? In discussions of "reasons behind the rates," the book examines Americans' ambivalence about sexuality and the many other social, cultural, religious, and economic factors that affect our approach to contraception. The committee explores the complicated web of peer pressure, life aspirations, and notions of romance that shape an individual's decisions about sex, contraception, and pregnancy. And the book looks at such practical issues as the attitudes of doctors toward birth control and the place of contraception in both health insurance and "managed care." The Best Intentions offers frank discussion, synthesis of data, and policy recommendations on one of today's most sensitive social topics. This book will be important to policymakers, health and social service personnel, foundation executives, opinion leaders, researchers, and concerned individuals. May

The Best Intentions

The Best Intentions
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 392
Release: 1995-06-02
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309176549

Experts estimate that nearly 60 percent of all U.S. pregnanciesâ€"and 81 percent of pregnancies among adolescentsâ€"are unintended. Yet the topic of preventing these unintended pregnancies has long been treated gingerly because of personal sensitivities and public controversies, especially the angry debate over abortion. Additionally, child welfare advocates long have overlooked the connection between pregnancy planning and the improved well-being of families and communities that results when children are wanted. Now, current issuesâ€"health care and welfare reform, and the new international focus on populationâ€"are drawing attention to the consequences of unintended pregnancy. In this climate The Best Intentions offers a timely exploration of family planning issues from a distinguished panel of experts. This committee sheds much-needed light on the questions and controversies surrounding unintended pregnancy. The book offers specific recommendations to put the United States on par with other developed nations in terms of contraceptive attitudes and policies, and it considers the effectiveness of over 20 pregnancy prevention programs. The Best Intentions explores problematic definitionsâ€""unintended" versus "unwanted" versus "mistimed"â€"and presents data on pregnancy rates and trends. The book also summarizes the health and social consequences of unintended pregnancies, for both men and women, and for the children they bear. Why does unintended pregnancy occur? In discussions of "reasons behind the rates," the book examines Americans' ambivalence about sexuality and the many other social, cultural, religious, and economic factors that affect our approach to contraception. The committee explores the complicated web of peer pressure, life aspirations, and notions of romance that shape an individual's decisions about sex, contraception, and pregnancy. And the book looks at such practical issues as the attitudes of doctors toward birth control and the place of contraception in both health insurance and "managed care." The Best Intentions offers frank discussion, synthesis of data, and policy recommendations on one of today's most sensitive social topics. This book will be important to policymakers, health and social service personnel, foundation executives, opinion leaders, researchers, and concerned individuals.

Parent-Teen Communication

Parent-Teen Communication
Author: James Jaccard
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1461391075

The problem of unintended pregnancies among adolescents is a serious one. Millions of dollars have been spent and hundreds of social science investigations have been conducted in the attempt to address the problem. The present book reports the results of a federally funded research project on parent-teenager communication about premarital sex and birth control. Both the role and potential of parents in influencing the sexual behavior of their teenagers has been questioned by many social scientists. The literature is characterized by studies that tend to observe little relationship between measures of parent-teen communication and teen sexual behavior. Many of our colleagues informally express the viewpoint that parents have little to do with the sexual behavior of their teens and that attempts to reduce unintended pregnancies through parental involvement will be futile. Indeed, when we first sought funding for the present research, several reviewers were skeptical for just this reason. It is our belief that parents can play an important role in preventing unintended pregnancies. In our opinion, past research has failed to make important conceptual distinctions which has resulted in an underestimation of the potential utility of parent-teen communication. We believe that the study reported here is consistent with this opinion. We have written the book with two goals. First, we wanted to identify important conceptual and methodological points that future researchers can consider in exploring this important area of inquiry. Second, we wanted to develop some of the applied implications of these points vis-a-vis our data.

Risking the Future

Risking the Future
Author: Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 1987-02-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309036984

More than 1 million teenage girls in the United States become pregnant each year; nearly half give birth. Why do these young people, who are hardly more than children themselves, become parents? This volume reviews in detail the trends in and consequences of teenage sexual behavior and offers thoughtful insights on the issues of sexual initiation, contraception, pregnancy, abortion, adoption, and the well-being of adolescent families. It provides a systematic assessment of the impact of various programmatic approaches, both preventive and ameliorative, in light of the growing scientific understanding of the topic.

Science and Babies

Science and Babies
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 183
Release: 1990-02-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309041368

By all indicators, the reproductive health of Americans has been deteriorating since 1980. Our nation is troubled by rates of teen pregnancies and newborn deaths that are worse than almost all others in the Western world. Science and Babies is a straightforward presentation of the major reproductive issues we face that suggests answers for the public. The book discusses how the clash of opinions on sex and family planning prevents us from making a national commitment to reproductive health; why people in the United States have fewer contraceptive choices than those in many other countries; what we need to do to improve social and medical services for teens and people living in poverty; how couples should "shop" for a fertility service and make consumer-wise decisions; and what we can expect in the futureâ€"featuring interesting accounts of potential scientific advances.

Emerging Answers

Emerging Answers
Author: Douglas Kirby
Publisher:
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2001
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN:

This report summarizes three bodies of research on teenage pregnancy and programs to reduce the risk of teenage pregnancy. Studies included in this report were completed in 1980 or later, conducted in the United States or Canada, targeted adolescents, employed an experimental or quasi-experimental design, had a sample size of at least 100 in the combined treatment and control group, and measured the impact on sexual or contraceptive behavior, pregnancy, or childbearing. Six chapters focus on: (1) "Making the Case for Prevention Efforts: Adolescent Risk-Taking Behavior and Its Consequences"; (2) "Looking for Reasons Why: The Antecedents of Adolescent Sexual Behavior"; (3) "Assessing the Evidence: Factors Affecting the Strength of Research Results"; (4) "Emerging Answers: The Behavioral Impact of Programs To Reduce Adolescent Sexual Risk-Taking"; (5) "Looking Forward: Conclusions about the State of Research and the Effectiveness of Programs"; and (6) "Bringing It Home: Applying These Research Results in Communities." (Chapters contain references.) (SM)

Risking the Future

Risking the Future
Author: Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 1987-02-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309036984

More than 1 million teenage girls in the United States become pregnant each year; nearly half give birth. Why do these young people, who are hardly more than children themselves, become parents? This volume reviews in detail the trends in and consequences of teenage sexual behavior and offers thoughtful insights on the issues of sexual initiation, contraception, pregnancy, abortion, adoption, and the well-being of adolescent families. It provides a systematic assessment of the impact of various programmatic approaches, both preventive and ameliorative, in light of the growing scientific understanding of the topic.

Queering Reproduction

Queering Reproduction
Author: Laura Mamo
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2007-09-03
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780822340782

DIVExamines the medical, social, and legal dimensions of the use of assisted reproductive technologies by lesbian women./div

A Better Approach to Teenage Pregnancy Prevention

A Better Approach to Teenage Pregnancy Prevention
Author: U.s. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 24
Release: 2014-07-18
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9781500558604

Federal funding for sex education programs began in the 1960s and 1970s. Legislative initiatives, including Titles V, XIX, and XX of the Social Security Act and Title X of the Public Health Service Act, were created in part to address poverty caused by unplanned pregnancy and fears of overpopulation. Federal funding made it possible for the poor to access primary healthcare and family planning services. Primary prevention programs were designed to teach about the biological aspects of sexuality and contraception. Taking a value-neutral and nondirective approach to the morality of premarital sex, these programs became a permanent fixture in the fight against teenage pregnancy. Today, these programs have evolved into a hybrid called comprehensive sex education (CSE) that includes building self-esteem, decision making skills, and other social factors. Like the early programs, CSE continues to teach that contraception is the best protection against an unplanned pregnancy.By 1980, as the number of sexually active teens grew, rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) began to rise. Many Americans believed that “valueneutral” sex education was responsible for the increase, and that teens needed guidance, and not just a “how-to” class to make healthy choices about their sexuality. In response, Congress enacted the Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) to find ways of reaching adolescents before they become sexually active and to promote self-discipline and other prudent approaches to the problem of adolescent premarital sexual activity. AFLA further indicated that since the problems of adolescent premarital sexual activity, pregnancy, and parenthood are multiple and complex, such problems are best approached through a variety of integrated and essential services provided to adolescents and their families – instead of a strictly medical approach.