skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Indiana Teen Pregnancies Down, Still Higher than National Average

play audio
Play

Friday, May 16, 2014   

INDIANAPOLIS – Teen pregnancy rates are at historic lows, but rates in Indiana are not declining as fast as the national average.

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Indiana has seen a 45 percent drop in teen pregnancy from 1991 to 2012, compared with a 52 percent drop nationally.

Betty Cockrum, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood in Indiana and Kentucky, says the highest rates of unintended teen pregnancy occurred in more rural counties.

"That's not a surprise because the two essentials to well-informed decision making around sexual activity particularly for youth is, first, education, and second, access to contraception," she points out.

Cockrum says there is a great need to get into more schools and get to more parents to ensure everyone has access to medically accurate, age-appropriate sexual education.

According to the report, there were more than 7,300 teens between the ages of 15 and 19 who gave birth in Indiana in 2012.

Cockrum says when teens have the information they need, they make smarter decisions about sex.

"Obviously, abstinence is the best answer for our youth,” she says. “But failure to educate them about the risks and potential outcomes of becoming sexually active, it's a mistake."

She adds that Hoosiers need to understand the link between unintended pregnancy, poverty and the number of children who go to bed hungry at night.

"If babies are planned and there are parents present who are prepared to take responsibility for ensuring that those children's needs are met, then we could begin to reduce the cycle of poverty here in Indiana," she says.

Cockrum says teen pregnancy is also associated with lower education, higher infant mortality and greater reliance on public support.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021