Teen Pregnancy in Oklahoma

The Guttmacher Institute released a study this month that shows teen pregnancy rates, abortion rates and birth rates have all decreased to a historic low in our nation. 

 “While there was a substantial drop in the pregnancy rate for
15–17-year-olds and 18–19-year-olds between 2008 and 2010,
pregnancies among 18–19-year-olds constituted the majority (69%)
of teen pregnancies. During this same time period, increasing
proportions of 18–19-year-olds reported having ever had sex,
yet fewer of them became pregnant. The likely reason is
improved contraceptive use and use of more effective methods.”

 This trend is cause for celebration! Not only do teens do better when they postpone having children, but children themselves have better outcomes when mothers wait until they are financially and emotionally prepared to raise them.

Tiffany Haddish
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Campaign
Oklahoma City Metro Area

Despite the decreasing trends, Oklahoma remains in the top 5 highest ranked states for teen pregnancy. We need to keep talking to teens about safer sex, keep expanding access to contraception, and keep improving sex education. We are doing well, but we are not there yet. Statistics are certainly improving but we can do better, so keep it up Oklahoma!

Conceiving of Abstinence Only Sex Ed

As we continue to hear stories, statistics, personal experiences, and research on the ineffectiveness of Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Sex education, it is harder and harder for me to comprehend how so many staunch advocates of this harmful type of education are still pushing. Therefore, many like me are still having to "push back", meaning advocating medically accurate sex education. I was doing just that on Friday, sitting behind a table at a public event, promoting safer sex and sex education, when the funniest thing happened...



A young girl (college aged) walks up to the table. I say hello to greet her and notice her T-Shirt. It wasn't a flashy shirt, but the text caught my eye. In large letters it read "I Stop at Third Base" with smaller type under indicating the t-shirt came from a particular "1987 Abstinence Conference." My first thought was that I really wanted this t-shirt, for the irony, and had a little laugh to myself. my second thought was, I remember 1987 quite well, but I doubt this young girl does, or was she even born yet? Assuming her clothing choice was made out of irony, I decided to strike up a conversation.


I said, nodding to her shirt, "So, you don't look old enough to have attended a 1987 conference."


She looked at me, never cracking a smile and said, without any intonation in her voice, "No, I was conceived there."


Seriously. Never laughed so hard in my life! This, my friends is yet one more testiment to the ineffectiveness of Abstinence Only Sex Education.