Birth Control In The USA

Pregnancies among America’s teenagers have caught the nation’s attention as one of our
greatest troubles. A Gallup poll conducted on May 23 and 24 of 1999 found that 7 percent of those
surveyed reported that youth/teen pregnancy was “the most important problem facing this country
today” (Gallup Organization, 1999). It was the fifth most common specific problem reported. The
concern about teen pregnancy has even led to national goals regarding its reduction. The first family
planning objective stated in Healthy People 2000, written in 1990, is to “reduce pregnancies among
females aged 15-17,” and additional goals include increased abstinence along with reduced activity
and increased contraceptive use among those adolescents who do engage in intercourse (U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, 1999a). Similar goals have been proposed for the next
decade in Healthy People 2010 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999b).
In fact, statistics regarding ...