Vision, a blog which provides "In-depth coverage of current social issues," certainly stayed true to that description in its exploration of the topic of teen pregnancy in the Spring 2009 Issue. Vision interviewed the National Campaign's Chief Program Officer, Bill Albert, to produce "Teens, Parents, and Teen Parents" and also published two other pieces relating to the topic: "Stork Realities," whose punny name speaks for itself; and "Teen Pregnancy: The Tangled Web," a thoughtful look at the complexities of teen pregnancy in the United States and throughout the world.

With the powerful statistics that accompany the issue of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing in our society, it's easy to get lost in numbers rather than focus on the individuals who are affected by this problem. Bill notes in his interview, "We're often very good at issuing reports. We're not very good at telling stories." To better understand and clearly represent an issue as complex as teen pregnancy it is necessary to see stories and individual experiences as complementary to statistics and reports. Indeed, more stories of teens' experiences with pregnancy and parenting might be just what other teens need to hear to fully comprehend the weight their sexual decisions can have on their present and future realities.

Check out "The Tangled Web" here.

Scientists are making progress in developing a vaginal ring to protect against not only unintended pregnancy but also HIV transmission. As noted by the Global Campaign for Microbicides, "Today's prevention options --condoms, mutual monogamy, and STI treatment-- are not feasible for millions of people around the world, especially women. Many women do not have the social or economic power necessary to insist on condom use and fidelity or to abandon partnerships that put them at risk. Because microbicides would not require a partner's cooperation, they would put the power to protect into women's hands."

Given that women now account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses, that contraception is never one-size-fits-all, and that safe sex means protection from STIs (sexually transmitted infections) as well as unintended pregnancy, safe, microbicidal birth control could be a big step in the right direction.

When I was in 7th or 8th grade, I was chosen to be one of 6 kids from my class to attend a "leadership workshop". It meant a weekend away from home with other kids of the same age from all over the Pittsburgh area, hanging out at a retreat facility and learning how to be better teenagers, better students, and better people in general. We did all of those activities typical of a weekend like that - ice breakers, team building stuff, reflections on life, our future goals, and everything in between. And even though it was more than 15 years ago, that weekend stands out in my memory as one of the hands-down best I've had...I remember the experience vividly and would do it again in a heartbeat.

So what's my point here? All these memories hit me today because The National Campaign is now accepting applications for our 2009-2010 Youth Leadership Team. The YLT is a similar sort of team building, weekend-adventure kind of thing, but with the added bonus that skills are used year-round. Let me explain... The YLT is a select group of 14- to 17-year-olds from across the nation who work with The National Campaign in a variety of ways: they serve as our eyes and ears when it comes to understanding teen culture, we call upon them to share their opinions and perspectives with the press, we show them off on Capitol Hill and have them talk to their Senators and Representatives about the importance of teen pregnancy prevention. Sometimes we even go bowling. We meet in person twice over their 18-month term, but we work together year-round to help them raise awareness about the issue in their home communities.

Do you know a teen who would be a great fit on our YLT? Take a minute to learn more about the Youth Leadership Team and read our YLT Frequently Asked Questions. If you know a teenager who you'd like to sponsor, download the YLT Application Packet here.

Spread the word!

Yesterday on The Tyra Banks Show, Tyra interviewed Eric and Lauren, a couple who waited until they got married to have sex. After two years of marriage they are still virgins because Lauren freaks out every time they attempt to have sex. Click here to watch a clip of the interview and see what Jezebel had to say about it.

I don't know if religion played a part in their decision to wait to have sex. But as a card-carrying member of the Christian community I can tell you that I have heard this story before. It goes like this: boy meets girl, they fall in love, and because they are "good Christians" they wait to have sex until they get married, and then after the wedding sex is a huge obstacle for the woman. Why, might you ask? Because a ring and a marriage certificate do not erase years of being told: "Sex is bad. Don't do it, and as a Christian girl, with no sexuality of your own, it's your job to play defense because boys can't control themselves." I'm not saying that abstinence until marriage is a bad thing. But in my opinion, teaching women to fear sex and their own sexuality is emotionally and spiritually damaging.

The church teaches so many good things about relationships: love, respect, commitment, compromise, communication, and self-sacrifice. But I think it can do a better job of talking about sex and sexuality.

Polls suggest that teens feel that girls receive different messages than boys about sexuality. Do you think your church (if you have one) sends different messages to girls and boys?

Do you think churches should change the way they teach about sexuality?

A new teen pregnancy video out of Great Britain seems to have some folks' knickers in a twist. The cinema verite short depicts a teen girl giving birth on a field at school while classmates look on in horror/amusement. The video was developed by public health officials in a city north of London with high rates of teen pregnancy and it has been posted on YouTube and some social networking sites.

Here's what msnbc has to say, or you can watch the video itself here (WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES):

What do you think? Effective? Too shocking? Too graphic? No big deal? What's your take?