To the extent that the National Campaign has a tag line it is this lovely bon mot: "Responsible Behavior. Responsible Policies." That is, if we are to make true and lasting progress in reducing teen and unplanned pregnancy it will take a heaping helping of both responsible behavior on the part of individuals and responsible policies in both the public and private sectors.

The emphasis today is on the former. The role of personal responsibility in pregnancy planning and prevention is examined in some detail in a new book out today, Rethinking Responsibility: Reflections on Sex and Accountability. Released by The National Campaign, the volume includes 29 essays written by leaders in their respective fields. Contributors include:

• Leading media voices, such as syndicated columnist E.J. Dionne, radio talk show host Tom Joyner, and Will Saletan, National Correspondent, Slate.

• Leaders of national organizations, such as Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of LaRaza, and Roland Warren, President of the National Fatherhood Initiative.

• Religious leaders and thinkers such as Jim Wallis, President and CEO of Sojourners, Rev. Samuel Rodriquez, President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Fred Riley, Commissioner, LDS Family Services, Rev. Sterling Lands, Senior Pastor, Greater Calvary Baptist Church in Austin, TX, and Rev. Debra Haffner, Co-Founder and Executive Director, the Religious Institute.

• Individuals who have worked with or written extensively on teens and young adults, such as Michael Carrera, Director, The Children's Aid Society Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, Elayne Bennett, President and Founder, Best Friends Foundation, Laura Sessions Stepp, Senior Media Fellow at The National Campaign, and Kay Hymowitz, the Manhattan Institute.

• Twenty-somethings, such as author Amber Madison and Cassandra Debenedetto, Founder, Anscobe Society, Princeton University.

We do hope that--in some modest way--these essays will be both thought-provoking and will help foster a national discussions about what personal responsibility means vis-a-vis pregnancy planning and family formation.

We also hope that you will take the opportunity to tell us what you think about the essays--don't worry, there's something in there for everyone to hate--or to simply tell us what you think about personal responsibility. Don't be shy, we really do want to hear from you.

Cross-posted from RH Reality Check's On Common Ground section.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is excited to join with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, and the National Foster Care Coalition in a partnership to focus on reducing the disproportionately high teen pregnancy rate among youth in and aging out of foster care. Since 2005, this population has been a major focus of the Campaign's work, both because this is a group of young people with high rates, and because it's an area where more attention and research is needed to make progress and improve child well-being.

As a first step, our newly formed working group sponsored a briefing on Thursday entitled, "Preventing Teen Pregnancy and Promoting Health Relationships among Youth in Foster Care." Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) was part of the Congressional Roundtable Discussion at which the announcement of the new working group was made. She pointed out that the government has a special obligation to take care of the children in its custody, and given some of the reproductive health outcomes of this group, we all could be doing a better job of making sure this happens.

I don't know how I've not seen these books before now, but I was just introduced to Robie H. Harris'  children's books on all things sex and sexuality and I'm in love.  It's Not the Stork is intended for those ages four and up, It's So Amazing is for ages seven and up, and It's Perfectly Normal is for those ten and up.  Supported by the fact that one of my colleagues admitted she just learned from the Stork book that a sperm's tail falls off when it enters an egg, I think it's safe to say there really is no age cap on that "...and up" part.

Harris and illustrator Michael Emberley (whose father just so happened to write the thumbprint drawing book I obsessed over as a child, but I digress) have produced age-appropriate books that cover all those things that kids are curious about and that adults often have a hard time finding the words to discuss. The littlest kids can learn the basics about body parts and what makes a family and the difference between good and bad touches and how babies grow in the womb, just to name a few of the topics.  The book for the oldest age group talks about those topics more in depth as well as puberty, masterbation, contraception, STIs, and planning pregnancy.  And when the 15th annivesray edition of It's Perfectly Normal comes out this fall (don't worry, we'll remind you when that happens), apparently there will also be new information about topics such as Internet usage and safety and the HPV vaccine.

In addition to how refreshingly straight forward and honest these books are, one of other things that strikes me the most is that the they show all kinds of people.  And I don't just mean racial diversity.  There are also different body types and sizes and ages.  Some have saggy boobs.  Some are hairier than others.  In other words, they show real people and that's really refreshing.

I'll be buying these books ASAP for my nieces and suggest you pick up copies, too, if you want to help the young people -- or not so young people -- in your life learn more about the birds and the bees.

There's a new show premiering this week on MTV that is a must-watch for anyone who cares about teen pregnancy or teens in general. "16 and Pregnant" is a 6-part series done in documentary style with one story per episode. It features 6 teen girls, all from different places, backgrounds and circumstances. MTV followed them through their pregnancies and in the time after they gave birth and captured the angst, drama, gossip, worry, heartache, excitement, confusion, pain, love, hope and helplessness that comes with being pregnant as teenager. It is riveting to watch and impossible to forget.

The first episode, which airs Thursday at 10p ET/PT, tells the story of Maci - an over-achiever from Chattanooga, Tennessee who is in the glorious throes of her first love when she finds out she's pregnant. I don't want to give anything away, but suffice it to say there's a big reality check in store for her. And her boyfriend. And anyone else who thinks having a baby at 16 is going to be like a fairy tale.

Not only are we big fans of the show, but we're also involved behind the scenes. We're preparing discussion guides to go along with each episode so that teens and parents and other adults have a place to start when they want to talk about what they're watching. Once the initial on-air run is complete, we'll also be distributing DVDs of the show to groups, classrooms and programs who need compelling content on this important topic to share with teens.

Check out the discussion guides and FAQ at http://www.stayteen.org/tuned/16-and-pregnant/ and don't forget to set your DVRs accordingly.

On our first blog entry, we received a comment from Joi regarding adoption and teen moms:

I am a former high school teacher turned teen pregnancy presentor. Started a program 6.5 years ago talking to teens about the 3 options they face if they are in an unplanned pregnancy. Use this site quite a lot for facts, ideas, etc. Would like to know why adoption doesn't get much of a mention here?

Joi's comment is actually a pretty common one in our circle and every so often we are asked about the prevalence of adoption among teen moms.  While adoption is obviously another option for teens if they face an unplanned pregnancy, the fact is that less than 3% actually choose adoption - fewer than 12,000 each year.  In the absence of government statistics on adoption, and the small number of adoptions that occur, research on adoption, including the reasons for adoption and consequences of adoption (for both mom and baby) is rare.

So, while movies such as Juno might suggest that adoption is a common alternative to teen pregnancy, most teenagers decide to keep their baby and take on the daunting task of raising a child themselves at a very young age.