As far as comprehensive sex education is concerned; it has been a “hit or miss” situation in this country. Where it is taught over the long haul, the fewer unplanned pregnancies. Here in Georgia, where teaching kids about responsible sex, is a non-starter topic, we have lots of unplanned pregnancies. Of course, we have repugs running the Governor’s and the Legislative branches of the government – enough said on that one! Not much enlightment there!

Leave single mothers alone, they have enough issues without the likes of Ms. Wright bad-mouthing their efforts in a society that values almost no one [at least those who do not generate profits for the top 3% of our population].

This of course is anathema to liberals because that makes poverty now a social/moral issue than it does an economic one alone and thus is their favorite panacea for all of society’s ills, throwing money at the problem through increasing government largesse at the expense of taxpayers through ever more crushing wealth redistribution. Money is a band-aid not the cure. The wound is societal break-down that has condemned 70% of Black children, over 30% of hispanic and 25% of whites to perpetual single-parenthood (figures off top of head so may be a little off but generally ballpark).

yes, of course on loving mother is better than two alcoholic, drug addicted or physically abusive [arents, but these represent not the norms but the exception (certainly the latter). And anyone who has had two parents in their lives knows that both mom and dad bring something to the table to make the child a more complete person. Anecdotal: I saw a kid on the monkey bars at the playground recently. The mother was admonishing him to be careful and don’t fall. The father was encouraging him to make it all the way across and not be afraid. Prudence and risk-taking all in one lesson.

I bet what you’re seeing is a confounder–some factor which causes both single parenthood and bad parenthood is creating the illusion of a causal link from one to the other.

Do the teens who receive comprehensive sex ed from people other than their parents have fewer pregnancies than those who don’t?

Do teens who receive comprehensive sex ed have fewer pregnancies than those who receive abstinence-only sex ed?

I see what you’re saying about “reported” pregnancies, but it seems counterintuitive that abstinence-only education would cause teens to report more actual pregnancies than otherwise, or that comprehensive sex ed would make them more likely to conceal actual pregnancies. If you have peer-reviewed research that suggests this, then I’d like to see it.

Without good evidence to the contrary, I’ll assume that sixty-percent fewer reported pregnancies among the comprehensive sex ed recipients is largely attributable to fewer actual pregnancies among that group.

That sounds like a testable hypothesis. Can you provide links to studies that support it?”

I don’t have any links to support it because it’s simply my opinion based on firsthand experience with pregnant teen girls and their boyfriends. And this is not a black/white issue, it crosses racial lines. This is the government becoming the father figure in our society and emmasculating the males by removing their responsibility to their women and children.

Perhaps the Gingrich welfare reforms of the 1990s had something to do with it.

Perhaps fear of AIDS has caused single black women to have fewer sexual partners and consider bonding with just one.

Or perhaps it’s just the increasing affluence of African-Americans. A single black career woman working as a Fortune 500 executive may feel she’s too busy to look after ANY kids by herself!

Comprehensive sex ed won’t help. Many of these girls want to get pregnant because it gives their lives purpose, and the fathers know they’re off the hook becuase the government will step in with welfare, WIC, etc., and the maternal grandparents will help care for the kids.

That sounds like a testable hypothesis. Can you provide links to studies that support it?

The study I linked to showed that comprehensive sex education did reduce teen pregnancy compared with either abstinence only education or no sex education.