In a bracing piece in The Nation, Sharon Lerner explores, with her usual clarity, why it is that primary prevention--simple birth control--now seems so devalued. Read, scratch your head, and be concerned. Sigh.

Ever wonder how births among teen girls have changed over the past 15 years? Or if parents ever disagree about whether their pregnancy was planned or not? Or even wonder how an unplanned pregnancy might affect the relationship stability of the parents? Or their happiness in their relationship? Don't look any further for answers, simply check out the 5 new sections of our DCR (Data, Charts, Research) Report and find out!

Section E - The Changing Portrait of Teen Childbearing Over Time
This section provides a portrait of teen births among girls age 15-19 in the United States, from 1991 to 2006. More specifically, the section explores the distribution of teens giving birth by age, race/ethnicity, nativity, marital status, and education, as well as the proportion of teen births that are low birth weight and are premature.
Highlights: Non-Hispanic white teens account for the largest share of teen births. However, since 1991, the proportion of teen births that are to non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black teens has decreased while the proportion of teen births to Hispanic teens has increased.  

When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton famously replied: "That's where the money is." Which brings us to community colleges...

As regular readers of this blog are surely aware, fully half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. Among single women in their 20s the rate is even higher--fully seven in 10 pregnancies among single 20-somethings are unplanned. Moreover, the rates of teen pregnancy and childbearing are highest among older teens (those age 18-19).

Take the high rate of unplanned pregnancy among young adults and consider this: there are about 11.5 million students in community colleges, representing nearly half (46%) of all undergraduate students in America.

Starting to get the Willie Sutton drift?

This piece is cross-posted from SexReally.com.

Alma Powell, a well-known advocate for youth, opened a grand dinner at the Newseum this week, the U.S. Capitol illuminated behind her, by asking a simple question: "And how are the children?"

It was an appropriate salutation, delivered to reporters about to receive awards for writing and broadcasting about disadvantaged children and families.

Powell explained that the greeting is used by Masai warriors in Africa as they pass each other on the road. It is their version of "How are you?" --a reminder that an individual is only as good as her or his child, a community only as good as its children.

It occurred to me that night that those who counsel teens and 20-somethings about sex and contraception are trying to convey something similar. One argument they make for using contraception consistently goes something like this: "Think about the baby you might have if you don't. What kind of a life will she or he have?"

So, not how are the children, but how will they be?

Some scary things to consider this Halloween:

• The teen birth rate is on the rise after 15 straight years of decline.
• Fully seven in ten pregnancies among single 20-somethings are unplanned.
• More than half of pregnancies reported by unmarried men in their 20s are unplanned.
• Rosie O'Donnell is launching a new radio show.
• The magic less sex/more contraception formula that drove down the teen pregnancy rate over the past decade plus now seems to have morphed into a more sex/less contraception formula.
• 3 in ten girls in the United States get pregnant by age 20.
• Mariah Carey continues to record and release music.

What are some things that are scaring you? Let us know.

Sheldon J. Segal is no longer with us. Segal, 83, died October 17 at his home in Woods Hole, MA. Although his work helped millions of women all over the world, he labored and died in relative anonymity.

What gives?

Segal is credited with leading the team that developed the contraceptive implant Norplant. He was also instrumental in the development of the Mirena intrauterine device and copper-bearing IUDs. In other words, Segal played a critical role in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls one of the greatest public health achievements of the past 100 years---contraception.

You might have missed this news because the front page of several major newspapers featured other such absolutely essential fare as the fight for airplane overhead space (USA Today) and a new opus from Stephen King (Wall Street Journal).

What gives?

Rest in peace, Sheldon Segal, and thank you.

Women currently account for 51% of the overall U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. To be precise, there were 154,135,120 women and 149,924,604 men in the United States in 2008. We also know that women, more often than not, are responsible for making decisions about their families' health care.

While I think it would be hard to make the leap that 51 percent of the programs and benefits of health reform should be directly targeted toward women, it's not a stretch to argue that health reform should address the health care needs of women and their families. That includes pregnancy planning and prevention.

Unplanned pregnancies are closely linked to a number of negative health, social, and economic consequences. Family planning services--counseling, gynecological care and screenings, prescription drugs and devices, and related outpatient services--are a cost-effective way to make progress on preventing unplanned pregnancy and improving health outcomes for women and families. As such, family planning should be classified as a preventive benefit with the same cost-sharing protections afforded to other designated preventive benefits in any essential benefit package that is created within the context of health reform.

For health reform to work, it has to be meaningful for everyone, including 51 percent of the U.S. population.

This piece is cross-posted from SexReally.com, where it was posted on Friday, October 9th.

Even before it hits the newsstands, November's Teen Vogue has people talking.

Why? Because the cover displays two 19-year-old supermodels, one of whom, Jourdan Dunn, is pregnant.

Critics say Dunn shouldn't be there because she is a role model for teen girls. She makes pregnancy look cool - and there are way too many pregnant teens already.

I'm going to raise a different issue. Why is either model - Dunn or Chanel Iman - on the cover? Vogue, I could see, but Teen Vogue? Though technically teenagers, Dunn and Iman have a lot more in common with 20- and 30-something women than girls who just got their braces removed.

Last Friday the New York Times published an article focusing on the potential health concerns of using two popular oral contraceptives, Yaz and Yasmin. While this information is certainly important and the risks of serious side effects including blood clots and stroke should absolutely be considered when thinking about what type of contraception to use, the article failed to discuss the risk of health issues during pregnancy. Studies have found that 4 to 5 per 100,000 reproductive age women who are not taking birth control pills will develop thrombosis. Among women taking low-dose birth control pills that risk increases to 12 to 20 per 100,000. Among pregnant women the risk is even higher--48 to 60 per 100,000. So when we hear about the increased risks of serious side effects such as blood clots and strokes we need to ask ourselves: "Compared to what?"

In addition to providing us with the scary news, I wish there were more articles about the women, men and families who are thankful for reliable birth control methods such as the pill. A recent report from the Guttmacher Institute found that nearly half of women reported that they wanted to reduce or delay their childbearing because of economic concerns--clearly family planning is as important as ever.

There are lots of other great methods of birth control available, but like anything in life there are trade-offs for each one, and we all have to find the one that fits us best (check out our Birth Control 101 page for more information). While most methods have side effects (and these should be discussed with your doctor), consider the potential alternative--an unplanned pregnancy.

Why do we expect so much more from our birth control pills than from other medications we take?

This blog doesn't need to be all Kardashian all the time, but it's worth noting in this space that not only is Kourtney Kardashian talking about her unplanned pregnancy, she is also talking about ambivalence and abortion - both incredibly common in these situations but both incredibly absent from most Hollywood baby bump coverage.

I don't know a whole lot about Kourtney - I don't watch her show and I'm not sure what sort of extraordinary things she's done to deserve a show - but what she told People magazine makes her sound like a normal person and not a creation of publicists:

"I definitely thought about it long and hard, about if I wanted to keep the baby or not, and I wasn't thinking about adoption."

"For me, all the reasons why I wouldn't keep the baby were so selfish: It wasn't like I was raped, it's not like I'm 16. I'm 30 years old, I make my own money, I support myself, I can afford to have a baby. And I am with someone who I love, and have been with for a long time."

That a "celebrity" would give voice to those feelings and ideas is refreshing because that's what we hear so often from regular people who live far outside the spotlight.

Less refreshing is what her doctor told her when she sought medical counsel about what to do: "My doctor told me there is nothing you will ever regret about having the baby, but he was like, 'You may regret not having the baby.' And I was like: That is so true."

One would hope that a physician would have a more balanced opinion about terminating an unplanned (and perhaps unwanted) pregnancy, but let's hope for the baby's sake the doctor was right this time.

I forgot to take my pill...

How many times has this thought crossed your mind?

Kourtney Kardashian recently announced that she is unexpectedly pregnant. While semi-celebrity baby bumps might not be that interesting to most, what's unusual is that she has admitted that the reason she got pregnant is because she used the pill inconsistently. In her own words Kourtney admits, "This probably sounds so dumb, but there's so many times I'll forget to take my pill and I don't think it's that big of a deal, it's just so stupid." While the birth control pill-- the most popular form of birth control in the U.S.--is very effective (you have a 99% chance of avoiding pregnancy if you take the pill), it is only as effective as the user. Nationally, nearly half of all women who have an unplanned pregnancy were using a method of contraception when they got pregnant. Digging a little deeper, half of women who have an unplanned pregnancy and birth admit that although they were using a method, they weren't using it correctly when they got pregnant.

For some of us, remembering to take the pill is easy and has become routine, but for others who are often forgetting to take their pill there might be another way. Consider other birth control options that experts often label as "forgettable". These include methods such as the vaginal ring, which is monthly, the IUD , which lasts 5-10 years, or the implant, which lasts up to 3 years. A method that I don't have to remember sounds great to me, what do you think?

This piece was written by Courtney Macavinta, founder and CEO of Respect Rx and award-winning and nationally recognized journalist, coach, speaker and co-author of RESPECT. It is cross-posted from RespectRx.com.

Preventing unplanned pregnancy is not just about having the "talks" about how babies are made, STDs and the perils of parenting without resources. Kids need to be supported--and invested in--on so many levels before the day even comes for those talks.

Based on my own risky journey with sex as a teen, to me a big part of the "solution" (there isn't one cure-all) comes down to boosting self-respect from many fronts. Imagine from age 0 that kids have a community, role models, school, organizations, family, friends and values around them that support the development of healthy self-respect. Well then risky choices become less of a risk factor, right? This is true for all the biggies that can derail a teen down the line from dating violence to drug abuse to, yes, unplanned pregnancy.

1.4 million people bought The Sims 3 in the first week it was released, and I was one of them. For those of you who are not familiar with the franchise, here is the premise: The player creates characters, or "sims," and then controls pretty much everything about them, such as their clothes, house, and traits, and then makes all of their decisions for them. I know this sounds like it would be a total waste of time -- it is -- but it's really entertaining.

And when it comes to starting a family in the Sims, things get really interesting. Sims can "WooHoo" without the risk (or, according to some players, with very little risk) of getting pregnant, and to get pregnant the user has to select "Try for baby." As some people have said in various forums, "WooHoo" is considered by some to mean sex with contraception. Statistically speaking, this makes perfect sense. Even with perfect use of the pill, there's still a 1% risk of getting pregnant.

For "research purposes," I wanted to see what would happen if my single, broke Sim had a baby. She had no desire for a baby, but I control everything she does so she didn't have a choice. I had her invite her boyfriend over to her house and, long story short, when she suggested to him that they try to have a baby he rejected her advances completely (as evidenced in the above photo). And to think, he had no problem when he was WooHoo-ing with her the night before...

Even though it still feels like we're smack in the middle of summer, lots of teens and 20-somethings are gearing up to head back to school in a few short weeks. Whether it's another year of high school, the first college experience, or the last year of formal schooling, we're hoping that students anticipating the excitement of new friends and new experiences will add one more thing to the list: doing whatever it takes not to let an unplanned pregnancy sideline their education.

On August 7, in 12 cities nationwide, radio personality Tom Joyner will launch his annual Back2School events to rally support for education -- especially for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Now is a good time to consider what Tom Joyner and his 10 million loyal listeners already know: that parenthood is not only one of the main reasons teen girls drop out of school, unplanned pregnancy can also be one of the fastest ways to derail your college plans. The fact is that eight in ten 20-somethings agree that pregnancy is something that should be planned.

So tell us about your plans for the future at sexreally.com. Go to a Back2School event in your community, check out Tom Joyner's Virtual College Fair, and learn more about his efforts here.

Back2School events will be held in the following places:

1. Cleveland, OH

2. Columbia, SC

3. New Haven, CT

4. Nashville, TN

5. Philadelphia, PA

6. Dallas, TX (Event is on Aug. 6th)

7. Indianapolis, IN

8. Greenville, SC

9. Buffalo, NY

10. Chicago, IL

11. Milwaukee, WI

12. Newton, NC

On July 23rd, I had the opportunity to attend an historic event: a press conference at which people with very different views about abortion worked together rather than against each other. The occasion was the introduction of the Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act authored by two bold leaders, Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Tim Ryan (D-OH) - one pro-choice and one pro-life. As Amy Sullivan of TIME put it, "The volume in the abortion debate has been stuck at rancorous screaming for so long that when it gets turned down, it's disorienting, like walking outside after a rock concert and trying to hear again."

As an organization dedicated to reducing teen and unplanned pregnancy, and with respect for deeply-held views about difficult issues, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy applauds this bill as a comprehensive, balanced approach to reduce the need for abortion by both helping to prevent unplanned pregnancy in the first place and supporting women and families once pregnancy occurs.

Community colleges are known to some as the red-headed step-child of higher education. NBC is even playing the association to its advantage with its new series coming this fall, Community. But the fact is that community colleges have played a critical role in the U.S., serving 11.5 million students and almost half of all undergrads across the country.

Although community colleges are seeing an increase in student enrollment, that doesn't necessarily mean there's an increase in the graduation rate. As David Brooks notes in his recent op-ed, No Size Fits All, about half of community college students fail to earn a degree. Recognizing the important role that student services play in students' success, last week President Obama announced the American Graduation Initiative, which gives schools the funding they need to offer their students "wrap-around services."

Last week, The Washington Post examined Hollywood's recent fascination with 20- and 30-somethings who are still fumbling their way towards something resembling adulthood. Appparently, being a grownup is so scary that being immobilized is way better. Until: something big happens that grows you up fast. In Hollywood, that turning point seems to be an unplanned pregnancy. "Knocked Up," "The Last Kiss" and "Away We Go" are just a few of the movies Post writer Monica Hesse points to as examples of babies turning aging adolescents into grownups.

Is that really a baby's job?

This piece is cross-posted on RH Reality Check.

There is reason to be concerned on this 8th National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The extraordinary decline in teen pregnancy and childbearing - one of the nation's preeminent success stories of the past two decades - is in danger of being reversed. Cue sober music.

From the early 1990s, until 2007, the teen pregnancy rate in the United States plummeted 38 percent and the teen birth rate declined by about one-third. State and local level trends mirrored national trends almost everywhere: Over the past decade, we've seen declining rates of teen pregnancy in all 50 states and among all racial and ethnic groups - extraordinary progress on an issue many once considered intractable.

However, the most recent news on this front has not been as positive. After 14 straight years of declines, the national teen birth rate increased 5 percent between 2005 and 2007 and many states are reporting statistically significant increases in their respective rates of early childbearing as well.

In a real life example of putting your money where your mouth is, the Colorado legislature passed and Governor Ritter signed into law a bill that would expand Medicaid to cover an additional 100,000 uninsured individuals in the state. Pending approval from the federal government, the state would impose a fee on hospitals to raise the necessary funds, which the federal government would then match, to cover the cost.

Why are we so concerned about what our friends in the Wild West are doing, you ask? Because Medicaid is by far the largest source of funding for family planning services in the United States--it accounted for fully 71 percent of all state and federal spending on family planning in 2006--and these publicly funded services are critical to our ability to reduce this nation's stubbornly high rates of unplanned pregnancy. Expanding access to family planning means better maternal and child health outcomes, significant savings for taxpayers and government alike, and reducing the need for abortion by preventing unintended pregnancy. But I'm preaching to the choir (and if not, here's a cheat sheet).

Read more about our love affair with Medicaid here.

A recently released study on marriage and the impact of childbearing on marriage determined that after the birth of their first child, couples experience a sudden decrease in marital quality. While couples without children also experience declines in marital quality over time, the decline is much more gradual. The overall conclusion from the research is that becoming parents is a particularly challenging time for couples--probably not surprising findings for most parents or couples.

Now imagine how the data on relationship quality would look if it turned out that the pregnancy was unplanned--or if the couple wasn't married when they found out they were about to become parents. Couples in these situations are more likely to break up than married couples who plan their pregnancy. Clearly, becoming a parent can be very rewarding, but it isn't easy. Parents will be better suited for this adventure if they decide to plan when they are ready (or not ready) for the challenging task of raising a child together.

As Stefanie points out below, and as several of our other bloggers have mentioned, the media--TV, movies, magazines, etc.--are brimming with "information" about sex and relationships. Sometimes they even go so far as to point out that sex without contraception can lead to pregnancy. However, these Hollywood portrayals more often than not lead to some sort of happy ending in which the couple sticks together and everything works out by the time the credits roll around.

If only real life worked out so neatly...just yesterday I was reading the morning free paper and stumbled upon an advice column featuring a letter from a woman who is concerned about her friend who became pregnant as the result of a drunken hook-up with a former boyfriend. According to the letter, the friend is holding on to the hope that the boyfriend (who has previously stolen, lied, and cheated) will come back because of the baby. Have you heard this from someone you know? How'd it turn out?

Unfortunately, research suggests that most couples who have an unplanned pregnancy aren't married or even living together by the time the baby is two (i.e. "Sex won't make him yours, and a baby won't make him stay"). Far be it from me to say that drunken trysts with ex-boyfriends are off-limits, but it's time we start talking and thinking about the consequences of conceiving and bearing children as a result. Huge advances in the field of family planning have given us great contraceptive methods that can be used/taken/inserted long before we are at the bar/club/bedroom. So...

How do we encourage more people to use these modern, effective methods instead of relying on the mantra of "it won't happen to me"...or thinking it might be for the best if it "accidentally" does?

Yesterday on Salon, Mary Elizabeth Williams blogged about how "Scoring with the drunk chick" scenes are on the rise in movies. Exhibit A: Observe and Report. Which got me thinking, at what point does the drunken sex scene stop being funny and actually become more like advocating risky behavior?

Far be it from me to judge other people's weekend rituals. Maybe having a few margaritas and getting it on with your partner, friend, acquaintance, or person you just met at the bar is how you like to spend your weekend. If so, more power to you. But recent research suggests support for at least one theme from Knocked Up--when you are drunk you may be less likely to talk about your contraceptive options and less likely to actually use contraception. And that is a problem.

Last month the Obama administration proposed to rescind the "Provider Conscience Regulation" issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) just before President Bush left office. We expressed concern about the regulation when it was put forth last fall because of its potential to adversely affect access to contraceptive services, which in turn could exacerbate the nation's high rates of both teen pregnancy and unintended pregnancy.

The Administration has invited the public to comment on the proposed rescission and today is the final day to let your voice be heard. Read the Campaign's official comment and then submit your own.

Kudos to Amy Sullivan on her insightful article in Time magazine voicing concern over recent increases in childbearing among unmarried adults.

Her reference to the Murphy Brown/Dan Quayle controversy helps us remember that while nonmarital childbearing seems to have only recently recaptured the public interest, this issue has been with us for many years—in fact nonmarital childbearing has been increasing almost nonstop for decades now.

The issue of nonmarital childbearing was first raised at the national level back in 1965 with what has come to be known as The Moynihan Report. Back then, nonmarital childbearing occurred predominantly among the African-American Community, with roughly one third of African-American children born to unmarried mothers (compared to less than one in ten children born to unmarried mothers overall). Hence, the Moynihan report focused on the fraying fabric of the African-American family unit and it became mired in controversy for its racist and classist overtones.

On March 11, the FDA approved the FC2, a new, less expensive version of the previously approved female condom (FC1).

In spite of stigma surrounding this method, the International Women's Health Coalition has noted a great deal of demand for female condoms in their experiences working to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa, as outlined in their recent video "Female Condoms: Demand and Distribution." According to the video, a primary deterrent for use of the female condom in Africa has been its cost and, in part as a result of cost, lack of availability.

Considering that the female condom is currently the only form of contraception designed for use by women that protects against both unintended pregnancy and HIV infection, making it more financially accessible is certainly a step in the right direction. Here's hoping governments and health advocates in the U.S. and abroad can leverage this development to provide women and couples with more options to protect themselves against infection and unintended pregnancy.

When President Obama rolled out his budget blueprint yesterday, he said "we are making a historic commitment to comprehensive health care reform. It's a step that will not only make families healthier and companies more competitive, but over the long term it will also help us bring down our deficit."

We hope this critically important effort will include helping people plan for healthy pregnancies and avoid unplanned pregnancies (of which there are 3 million each year). There is abundant evidence that doing so will improve the health and well-being of children and families. And, study after study shows that it will also save money--for taxpayers and employers.

Should be a no brainer, right? Well, yes, but first our leaders need to get over two things: the fear factor and the joke factor. Family planning is more than mainstream: 98% of sexually active women use some form of family planning. It is a key part of women's lives and health. Consider this: the typical American woman spends five years pregnant or trying to become pregnant and three decades trying to avoid pregnancy.

And, it has broad public support: 88% of voters support women's access to contraception. In fact, a recent poll by Public Strategies Inc. found that 72% of Republicans and Independents favor legislation that would make it easier for people at all income levels to obtain contraception.  The American people get this and the President does too, which is why his budget takes an important step to help more states provide family planning through Medicaid.

So, enough of the talk show jokes and smirks. Let's get serious and help do something that is common sense, promotes responsibility, improves health, and saves money.

You know that visceral reaction some have had to the octuplets story? The disbelief over each new detail about the mother that is wholly inconsistent with responsible parenthood? The frustration brought on by the realization that taxpayers will foot the bill for all this? That sickening, sinking feeling that comes from imagining all the challenges awaiting these babies?

Well, that is exactly the kind of response we should have when it comes to the issue of unplanned pregnancy.

Like uber-breeder Nadya Suleman, mothers who become parents before they themselves say they're ready face a higher incidence of poverty, relationship turmoil and single parenthood. Taxpayers are also on the hook for much of the financial burden associated with raising children born of unplanned pregnancy, just like they will likely be for the octuplets. And most importantly, like that now-famous octet, babies born of unplanned pregnancies face enormous obstacles, from neglect and father absence to developmental delays and poverty. The biggest difference is that there are only eight new Suleman babies, while unplanned pregnancy in the United States accounts for more than a milllion births every year.

So don't stop questioning the medical ethics and societal influences that allowed the octuplet situation to happen. Don't stop criticizing the seemingly selfish and unrealistic fantasies of the parent in this story. And don't stop talking about how babies deserve better. But please, don't limit your concern to the Suleman family.

Yesterday, a probably still-frozen-from-the-inauguration President Obama issued a statement on landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade One part of the brief speech especially caught my attention:

While this (abortion) is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.

Working as a communications officer for an organization like The National Campaign means that I often find myself answering whether we (The Campaign) are pro- or anti- abortion. But what President Obama so eloquently stated and what this organization believes wholeheartedly, is that abortion isn't the issue. Instead, it's the need for abortion that should be center stage in this debate.

Whether you're pro-choice or pro-life, Republican or Democrat, take a moment to consider something...if men and women in this country were equipped with the knowledge and tools to prevent unplanned pregnancy, abortion as we know it would no longer exist—the demand would simply cease.

Just a thought....

Get more info on the statement and the discussion it has sparked:

• The full statement
• Politico
• CNN.com
• The Wall Street Journal

Previous Pregnant Pause Posts:

• Responsibility Rants
• "We Should Try to Reduce These Circumstances"
• Barack's 'Pregnant Pause

Continuing a tradition from last year, the British Journal of Medicine recently released a list of 6 medical myths that most people (even doctors) believe. In honor of their new tradition I'd like to add a few myths about teen and unplanned pregnancy to the list.  What myths have you heard from your friends and family?  Tell us about them in the comments field below.

6 Myths about Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy for the Holiday Season:

1. It won't happen to me.
   Nearly half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, which suggests that having an unplanned pregnancy is a lot more common than many people realize.  More than 80% of teen pregnancies are unplanned and a full 70% of pregnancies to single women in their twenties are unplanned as well.
   
   
2. Parents don't matter.
   Teens consistently say that teens are the most influential when it comes to their decisions about sex.  Other research also indicates that parents play a huge role in the decisions that teens make, and a close relationship between teens and their parents decreases their risk for teen pregnancy.  Worried about talking to your kids about sex, love, and relationships?  The National Campaign has some tips to get you started.
    
3. A baby will make him stay.
   In fact among teen mothers, eight out of ten fathers don't marry the mother of their child.  These absent fathers pay less than $800 annually for child support, often because they are poor themselves. Children who live apart from their fathers are also five times more likely to be poor than children with both parents at home.
   
   Women who have an unplanned pregnancy and birth are also much less likely to either move in with their partner or get married compared to women who plan their pregnancy and birth.  In fact, less than half of women who have an unplanned birth are married by the time their child is 2 years old (an additional 17% are cohabiting).
    
4. Being in a serious relationship is a good reason to stop using birth control.
   People often get lax about contraception as a relationship gets more serious and feelings become more intimate.  But as the relationship heats up, it's time to be more careful, not less.  Remember, either abstaining from sex or using contraception each and every time you have sex is the best way to avoid an unplanned pregnancy.
      
5. Everybody's doing it.
   In fact, less than half (48%) of all high school student have ever had sex. Don't believe everything you hear. People lie, and exaggerate, and can talk a good game when it comes to sex. In the end, it doesn't matter who's telling the truth or not. The only truth that matters is what's best for you. Yeah, that sounds corny -- but it's true.
    
6. Because you've said "yes" once means you have to say "yes" every time.
   Just because you decided to have sex one time, or with one person, doesn't mean you have to have sex again, or with everyone.  Most teen girls (53%) and one-third of teen boys (33%) say they had mixed feelings about having sex the first time it happened.

People all over the country are getting together to discuss ways to improve our health care system, and we want to make sure that the issues we care about most are a part of this dialogue.

This is a priority for us. And not just because it's our job. It's because deciding whether and  when to become pregnant and have children is one of the most important decisions many of us will make in our lives. We think women, men, and families will do better if they have the opportunity to prevent pregnancy and plan families affordably, in consultation with the best medical professionals, and without barriers.

We've asked some of our friends to share some of the challenges they've faced seeking care, and we hope you'll share your stories by leaving comments on this blog post.

"I switched jobs and therefore my insurance plan changed. I went from paying $7 for a month's supply of birth control to more than 4 times as much for the exact same prescription."

"I was having trouble getting pregnant, and did some research on what might be causing my particular issues. I read about a hormone that might help, but my doctor at the time wasn't very familiar with it. He agreed to administer it, but wanted to test for it in my blood after a few weeks. This was impossible, because that particular hormone doesn't show up in your blood. I switched to an OBGYN who knew about the hormone and understood my issues, and shortly after receiving the treatment I was pregnant with my first daughter."

"I decided I wanted an IUD. I had been seeing an OBGYN at a hospital that doesn't do IUD's. I called four different doctors in the area, and no doctors do them. Finally I found a doctor a long way from my house who said she did them, so I made an appointment. I finally saw the woman and she gave me an exam then told me that she would not recommend an IUD --  because I hadn't had a baby, and because she had so little faith in her own ability to insert one properly. I was super excited that I'd taken off an afternoon to drive out to the middle of nowhere for that." 

"When I changed pills based on advice from my doctor to try anther type, the new ones ended up costing me over $50/month (with insurance paying about $5). On other pills, I'd paid $10 -- $15 month, with insurance paying the balance."

"I had been having reproductive health issues for years, and when doctors ruled out endometriosis, fibroids, and cancer, we decided that a hysterectomy would be the best course of action. Since I am done having children, I agreed. After a few more weeks of tests, exams, and follow-up visits, I received a bill from my insurance company for almost $1,000 -- all this on top of my $20 co-pay I was dishing out for every office visit. When I called my doctor to straighten this out, it was explained to me that on top of a $750 deductible for my plan, I have to pay 20% of all the costs beyond that. The good news is that I had met my high deductible for the year. The bad news: my surgery is scheduled for next year."

As our new leaders and the American public begin to think about how to address the inefficiencies in this nation's health care system, we have an opportunity to ensure that the issues we care about are front and center in this national discussion.

The new Administration wants to know what's important to you, and they're encouraging people throughout the country to host or attend community discussions on health reform over the next few weeks.

We want our elected leaders to know: Any changes to improve the health care system must include ways to help teens and young adults avoid too-early or unplanned pregnancy.

But how do we do it? We have some ideas, but we want to hear from you. We hope you'll take a few seconds to let us know your thoughts by leaving comments on this blog post, and we'll make sure that the new Administration gets the message loud and clear.

Miley Cyrus has a new BF.  He's 20, she's about to turn 16.  I'm a dad of a daughter who adores Miley and her on-screen alter ego of Hanna Montana and I really don't want to be in the position of having to explain another Hollywood unplanned pregnancy.  I know others worry too.

Even though Miley is wearing a purity ring, indicating a vow of chasity, there are other rumors that indicate that she is on the pill.  I hope Miley is on the pill if she continues to date the 20-year-old, because experience proves that kind of relationship--where the older person has so much power and influence--results in sex.

Moreover, research shows that when teen girls have sex at a young age with much older partners, the chances are greater that their first sexual experiences are involuntary or unwanted and that they will become pregnant.

But what really gets my back up is that Miley's dad, Billy Ray, supports the relationship. 

Did that mullet hurt his head?  What do you think?

Sadly, more people probably heard Jon Hamm talk about Mad Men, the fantastic AMC series he stars in, on Saturday Night Live than actually watch the series itself. But, the fortunate 2 million or so viewers who caught the season finale last night got great drama and a great history lesson about a time when we were at the brink of a missile crisis, people smoked and drank in the office, and women's roles and options were a lot different than they are today.

The show also had a key theme about unplanned pregnancy among adults—something that is not as well understood or as much talked about as teen pregnancy.  Without giving it away for the millions who did not see it*, two of the characters remind us that unplanned pregnancy can happen to anyone and that once someone gets pregnant when they weren't planning to, there is no easy path. I don't know what the number was in the early 1960s, but today, 3 million women—and men—experience an unplanned pregnancy each year. Some are welcomed and wanted, but many are not and result in considerable real life drama for those involved.

*Read a recap of the finale or find out where you can watch the whole episode On Demand.

Not to infringe on Joe the Plumber's 15 minutes of fame, but can we reflect for a minute on this response from Sen. Barack Obama during the third and final presidential debate when the issue abortion reared its head:

This is an issue that -- look, it divides us. And in some ways, it may be difficult to -- to reconcile the two views.

But there surely is some common ground when both those who believe in choice and those who are opposed to abortion can come together and say, "We should try to prevent unintended pregnancies by providing appropriate education to our youth, communicating that sexuality is sacred and that they should not be engaged in cavalier activity, and providing options for adoption, and helping single mothers if they want to choose to keep the baby.

Those are all things that we put in the Democratic platform for the first time this year, and I think that's where we can find some common ground, because nobody's pro-abortion. I think it's always a tragic situation.

We should try to reduce these circumstances.

Yes!  Reducing unintended pregnancy!  It's important!  Not just to the women and men who find themselves in situations where there's a pregnancy they weren't planning on, not just important to the children who are borne of these pregnancies and are forced to endure less than ideal conditions both in utero and throughout their lives, but important to a nation of taxpayers, voters, community members, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors, classmates, colleagues and citizens who want this nation to be better, stronger, and populated by people who were wanted and welcomed from the get-go.

Kudos to Sen. Obama for looking for a way to find consensus on an issue known for its ability to divide us.

Now if the candidates would only talk about contraception...

For more questions we wish the candidates would address, please look here:  http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/policymakers/questions.aspx

For sports fans around the world, there are just a couple days left to catch the 2008 Summer Olympics on TV. But for the competitors who made the trek to Beijing, that means just a few more days to score—and I don't just mean on the field (or in the pool or on the court).

Acknowledging that sexual activity is a likely byproduct of housing over 10,000 world class athletes in the same village, Olympic officials started distributing condoms in 1992. While the condoms are generally supplied in the name of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, I'm guessing a few unplanned pregnancies have also been avoided thanks to their availability.

In addition to the 100,000 condoms made available to athletes during the current games, Beijing health authorities have also provided local hotels with 400,000 free condoms. Of course, for those not receiving gratis prophylactics, they are always available for purchase and a Chinese condom company, Elasun, launched an Olympic-themed marketing campaign this summer to keep condoms in everyone's consciousness.

Richard Russo, the world's greatest living novelist (sorry, it's a measurable fact, not an opinion), recently penned an op-ed piece for The Washington Post.  In the piece Russo imagined what might be in a novel he would write about the Eliot Spitzer train wreck.  In the piece Russo says:

Fictive Eliot will do exactly what the real Eliot has done, only my guy almost never imagines getting caught.  And when he does occasionally consider the possibility, he trusts that there will be ample warning that disaster is imminent.  For the most part, things in his life have happened slowly, especially the good things, and he trusts that bad things will evolve similarly.  He will swerve at the last moment (emphasis mine).  The possibility of a head-on collision, swift and devastating, simply never occurs to him."

I love this article from Slate -- simply because it has the temerity to suggest that the well being of a child might be at least as important as the desires of an adult.  When it comes to getting pregnant and having a baby, it's NOT all about me (what I want, me, my life and me), it's all about we (what is best for a family?).  Emily: you are my new hero.  Be strong.