Interesting graph -- teen pregnancy in the "red" states

[CatWoman]

they are just dripping with "values".

My understanding is that since * has been in "office" the rate has constantly climbed.

Which is to be expected when your whole teen pregnancy policy is focused entirely on abstinence. That's just stupid. And unrealistic.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. I notice "librul" Massachusetts, with their society-ruining gay marriage

are next to last on the list. Gee, I wonder if that's a coincidence... :eyes:

[tk2kewl]

2. they must be turning everyone into homos

can't get pregnant that way

[TahitiNut]

4. Purr-fect.

:silly: ("cat get pregnant that way")

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

6. but that's where you are mistaken!!

You have to have children in order to reprogram the next generation of gay people!

It's part of the "gay agenda" to ensure a new crop of children that are amenable to becoming gay!

[tk2kewl]

9. they're doing it in public schools too

</sarcasm>

[uppityperson]

23. We give birth to gay people? thought we converted them

by our immoral actions. Remember, gays aren't born that way, they're made that way. Find new ways to interact with kids in the world. Schools, playgrounds, churches, youth activities. Black is white and war is peace.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

Freedom is slavery!

[uppityperson]

28. Remain ignorant! Stay Strong!

[AllegroRondo]

12. And they have the lowest divorce rate too!

Those darn Liberal policies are just ruining them!

[tk2kewl]

13. i don't doubt that a bunch of those teen pregnancies become

those same divorces

[pmbryant]

3. "Red states" and "blue states" terms are meaningless and destructive

http://pmbryant.typepad.com/b_and_b/2004/11/abandon_all_tal.html

For example, is New Mexico (near the top of the list) really "red" and New Hampshire (at the bottom) really "blue"?

--Peter

[TahitiNut]

7. Simpler than showing correlation between two rates.

:shrug: After all, how many people understand measures of correlation?

[CatWoman]

8. don't shoot the messenger

altho, I know that's one of your favorite past times.

good thing I've been spaded. :D

I got this from Daily Kos.

[pmbryant]

10. Saw it at DailyKos earlier.

Tried to shoot it, but they got that darn 24-hour waiting period for newbie posters there, so I had to shoot your post instead. Sorry! :D

Anyone else using the terms "red state" or "blue state" is also hereby warned! ;-)

Peter

[Verve]

21. So what terms would you use? North vs. South?

Whatever you choose to call them, there is a big discrepencancy between the two. Just by eyeballing the data it looks like red = around 50% and blue = around 30%. Something is going on!

[pmbryant]

24. Something's going on,but it has little to do with the terms "red" & "blue"

Since those terms are essentially meaningless. (Not to mention that use of those terms falls into the GOP framing trap.)

Here's what I wrote on my blog earlier, since I couldn't reply at DailyKos. There's even more at the "earlier posts" linked inside.

http://pmbryant.typepad.com/b_and_b/2004/12/more_misguided_.html

More misguided "red state v. blue state" talk

Kos at Daily Kos posts about the relative teen pregnancy rates of "red states" versus "blue states," and unfortunately buys into the whole misleading and destructive "red state versus blue state" mantra that the GOP would love to see continue for another four years. The point of his post appear to be that the states that voted for Kerry, even if only by slight margins, are superior to the states that voted for Bush, even if only by slight margins. Of course, he doesn't mention the part about slight margins, treating each state as if it were a monolithic entity of Kerry voters or Bush voters.

As I tried to explain in these earlier posts, the political differences in terms of actual numbers of voters for Democrats and Republicans is quite small in most states. Our winner-take-all electoral system grossly distorts these small real differences into huge apparent ones.

Second, by talking about the country as if we are divided into two "teams," and the team you are on is determined by what state you live in, we push middle-of-the-roaders away from us in states like Ohio, Nevada, Florida, and Colorado. Unfortunately, we are going to need some of these states in order to win future Presidential elections, and we are already starting from a deficit. Meanwhile, we should avoid digging our hole deeper.

"Red states" don't exist.

"Blue states" don't exist.

There are simply "states," and the individual citizens that live therein.

[Kber]

5. Actually, this data supports my theory that the red states are so

concerned with "values" because, for what ever reason, the see a society in distress all around them. In NJ where I live, teen pregnancy isn't a voting issue because it isn't a huge (comparatively) problem. But from the point of view of a Mississippian, it's a matter of grave concern.

OTOH, maybe it's not a huge problem in NJ because of the policies we use to address it. I agree that abstinence only programs cannot fully solve this problem. Sweeping issues under the rug (or shoving them into closets) rarely works. Perhaps if folks were really concerned in Mississippi, they would visit with NY and MA policy makers to try to determine what actually works, learn from our successes and failures, etc.

[Kathryn7]

11. Shows how many gave birth, not how many got pregnant.

Abortion rate could be higher in blue states.

[CatWoman]

14. If I'm not mistaken

that statistic was reported on Randi Rhodes' show (abortion rate higher in red states).

Do you have any evidence to support that claim?

[Kathryn7]

29. California and New York have the highest rates of abortion.

according to Infoplease.com

[Doctor_J]

15. sniff

what's that smell?

[CatWoman]

16. rancid, isn't it?

;)

[JitterbugPerfume]

18.

yup

[politicat]

27. The Alan Guttmacher institute has this information.

Here's an excerpt:

Abortion rates girls 15-19/ratio per 100 pregnancies ending in live birth or abortions
Alabama 24 33
Alaska 16 20
Arizona 14 23
Arkansas 12 24
California 36 16
Colorado 19 27
Connecticut 30 49
Delaware 31 39
District of Columbia 55 50
Florida 33 40
Georgia 18 23
Hawaii 34 42
Idaho 10 10
Illinois 27 36
Indiana 12 20
Iowa 12 26
Kansas 12 21
Kentucky 8 13
Louisiana 11 15
Maine 15 34
Maryland 38 48
Massachusetts 26 50
Michigan 24 38
Minnesota 13 29
Mississippi 16 18
Missouri 14 22
Montana 14 28
Nebraska 12 25
Nevada 36 37
New Hampshire 17 42
New Jersey 47 60
New Mexico 22 25
New York 46 58
North Carolina 22 27
North Dakota 8 22
Ohio 17 27
Oklahoma 12 17
Oregon 25 37
Pennsylvania 17 34
Rhode Island 23 40
South Carolina 17 23
South Dakota 7 16
Tennessee 16 21
Texas 17 20
Utah 6 13
Vermonth 14 37
Virginia 21 34
Washington 26 40
West Virginia 10 17
Wisconsin 12 25
Wyoming 25 37


Some of those ratios are pretty damning, in my mind. And Utah, especially has to be considered with care. Many women, especially in the southern part of the state, must travel to receive care, and Las Vegas is closer than Salt Lake. So Nevada's numbers may include young women from the Southern Utah/Northern Arizona areas as well.

[Zan_of_Texas]

17. Well, you could also chart the warm states and the cold states.

Arguably, the top 14 states in teen pregnancy are warm states. And, the bottom 20 states in teen pregnancy are cold states.

Back in the truly old days, teen sexual activity without benefit of marriage involved cars, and places not generally afforded niceties like heat. Maybe we should move the teens to places farther north, where they would be less likely to disrobe.....??

Okay, just goofing around with you, but it shows that these analyses can cut several ways.

[CatWoman]

19. heh

thanks for the comic relief :D

[Doctor_J]

20. that's it!

the bushies can blame their teen pregnancy problem on the weather! That and Bill Clinton.

Seriously, those of us in the blue states should REALLY stop subsidizing those amoral red states.

[izzie]

22. Maybe that better start handing out some new books to these girls.

I also read some place un-wanted babies are un-heard if in Holland.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

25. oooooooooooo......it seems that the Fundi/Facsists are doing...

some "un-Christian" things these days.

:eyes:

I am not suprised.

[sangh0]

26. Damn, I gotta move me to a red state

.

[CatWoman]

30. SLUT!!!!!

:hi:

[sangh0]

31. No, not "slut"

"virgin sluts"

I'm thinkg those red states are full of 'em! Yeehaw!!