California reduces teen birth rate through sex education
The Associated Press
Last Updated 1:05 pm PDT Sunday, May 9, 2004
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - California's teen birth rate has dropped by more than 40 percent over the last decade, a trend attributed to a state-sponsored program that provides information on sexual abstinence and birth control.
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California's decline in teen birth rates surpassed all other states except Alaska, said Claire Brindis of the Center for Reproductive Health Research at UC San Francisco. The teen birth rate fell from 73 to 41.1 per 1,000 teens between the ages of 15 to 19, Brindis said, citing figures from the state Department of Health Services.
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California is the only state that refuses to accept federal sex-education money, which requires public schools to teach only sexual abstinence and avoid providing information on contraception.
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The state's shift to comprehensive sex education started under Republican Gov. Pete Wilson. Under Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, spending on the program dramatically increased, totaling nearly $200 million over the last decade.
The state saved roughly $1 billion in taxpayer money and more than $2 billion in community costs that would be spent on social services for teenage mothers and their babies, Brindis said.
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http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/9235691p-10160873c.html