Teen Pregnancy: Why the U.S. Lags Behind Europe

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July 15, 11:38 PM

by Joe Schatz, Parenting Examiner

 

 

Of all the industrialized countries in the world, the U.S. has, by far, the highest instance of teenage pregnancies with a rate that more than doubles the nearest competitors.  After posting on the topic earlier this week, I did some further research and came up with some common sense answers as to why this is.  One of the best sources I found was Advocates for Youth.  Each summer since in 1998, Advocates for Youth and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte sponsor annual study tours to France, Germany, and the Netherlands to explore why adolescent sexual health outcomes are so much more positive in the three European countries than in the U.S.  The following italicized bulleted points are from their most recent findings.  Here I will go point and counter point with what the Europeans do successfully and our U.S. reality—buckle up! 

• Adults in the Netherlands, France, and Germany view young people as assets, not as problems. Adults value and respect adolescents and expect teens to act responsibly. Governments strongly support education and economic self-sufficiency for youth.

In opposition to this statement, here in the U.S. there are countless reasons for young men and women to have low self-worth which contributes to their poor choices and decision making.  As a metaphor, the legal age to drink alcohol in the U.S. is 21 while the average age in European nations is 18 for general drinking and 16 for drinking wine & beer.  Some European countries have no minimum age for alcohol consumption. Plainly speaking, teenagers are treated and looked upon in U.S. culture as “kids” until they are over 21.  So it goes without saying, “teens” are viewed differently in the U.S. than Europe and this rift may have some part to play in the rebellious mindset some U.S. teens have as they disregard what is in their best interest when making some critical life choices.

• Research is the basis for public policies to reduce unintended pregnancy, abortion, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Political and religious interest groups have little influence on public health policy.

In the U.S., policy can be created, formed and most certainly influenced by lobbyist groups and religious organizations.

• A national desire to reduce the number of abortions and to prevent sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, provides the major impetus in each country for unimpeded access to contraception, including condoms, consistent sexuality education, and widespread public education campaigns.

In the US there are few public education campaigns to confront the issues of teen pregnancy effectively.  Government funded programs for low cost of free contraception don’t exist, and neither do consistent sexual education programs.  Public education on the topic of sexuality is minimal to non-existent.

• Governments support massive, consistent, long-term public education campaigns utilizing the Internet, television, films, radio, billboards, discos, pharmacies, and health care providers. Media is a partner, not a problem, in these campaigns. Campaigns are far more direct and humorous than in the U.S. and focus on safety and pleasure.

Cool campaigns prove to be more effective way to communicate with teens—go figure.  Scare tactics are the typical ads that a U.S. teen sees which haven’t been proven to be effective. 

The media in the U.S. is not “on board” with any one set of criteria or mindset that the government has deemed vital to success in battling teen pregnancy or dealing with the issue of safe sex.  This can be seen in the recent “OK!” article done that glamorizes the situation of teen star Jamie Lynn Spears.  In European countries there is a unified, team like effort to promote responsible behavior—there are familiar sexual education campaigns.  Teens in the U.S. get many different messages from media sources which can only work to muddle any good information they may be receiving. 

• Sexuality education is not necessarily a separate curriculum and may be integrated across school subjects and at all grade levels. Educators provide accurate and complete information in response to students' questions.

In public schools there is no set standard formula across the nation on how and when to implement sexual education in the United States.  With various forms of sexual education that vary from teaching abstinence to teaching sexual education to teaching nothing at all, teens are often confused and or unprepared on how to approach the new topic of sex and sexual relations.  In Europe sexual education is preemptive, while in the U.S. it is often too little and too late.

• Families have open, honest, consistent discussions with teens about sexuality and support the role of educators and health care providers in making sexual health information and services available for teens.

In the U.S. there is a stigma associated with “the dreaded talk” that parents have with their kids in regards to sex.  It is seen as a comical onetime event where the parents fall flat on their faces trying to talk about something very important in nature. 

• Adults see intimate sexual relationships as normal and natural for older adolescents, a positive component of emotionally healthy maturation. At the same time, young people believe it is "stupid and irresponsible” to have sex without protection and use the maxim, "safer sex or no sex."

In the U.S. there are so many different messages being sent to young people from the music they listen to, to the movies they watch, and to what their peers are doing that there is absolutely no clear “maxim” to speak of and certainly no feeling of sex being “stupid and irresponsible.”

• The morality of sexual behavior is weighed through an individual ethic that includes the values of responsibility, respect, tolerance, and equity.

Young people in the U.S. use terms like “pimp” loosely to describe different aspects of their lifestyles so it goes without saying that their views about sexual morality tend to be less mature and even warped.  Of course, that is just a metaphor that illuminates a general attitude of males disrespecting females as acceptable and even trendy.  Prevailing cultures like hip-hop and rock strongly impact the psyche of many U.S. teens and each of these cultures have been identified by loose moral standards and the objectification of women. 

How exactly does the U.S. compare in teen pregnancy rate to its European counterparts?  Are the abortion rates higher in the European nations? Here are statistical comparisons between the U.S. and European nations in those key statistical areas.

For all the statistics check out the Advocates for Youth website.  What are your thoughts?  Are we as a country lagging way behind our European counterparts?  What lessons can be learned from them?

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