Deseret News | Utah youth population, teen pregnancy climbing

Reader comments
Utah youth population, teen pregnancy climbing

Anonymous | 12:59 p.m. May 21, 2009

Too bad none of these kids had the foresight to see the consequences of their actions and the self-control to avoid it. If they're going to choose to be irresponsible, they deserve what they get. Pretty simple.

Ron | 1:07 p.m. May 21, 2009

Well society keeps telling our kids, "Do whatever feels good, you won't be held responsible if anything goes wrong".

Miss Teen Spirit | 1:12 p.m. May 21, 2009

The Forces of Intelligent Design made it very, very difficult to overcome hormonal imperatives. These same Forces made small pox, intestional parasites, stupid people, etc. Go figure.

Comments continue below

Anonymous | 1:26 p.m. May 21, 2009

Just say no works as well in stopping sex as it did for drugs?

Bowser | 1:32 p.m. May 21, 2009

It is amazing that none of our legistaors seem to notice the relationship between our "abstinence only" sex education and our teen pregnancy rates. Obviuosly more education is the answer. It is unfortunate for the children that they chose to put their personal religious beliefs before the welfare of the citizens they are supposed to represent.

ahh - Number game | 1:42 p.m. May 21, 2009

What is not described is how many of those "teenage pregnancies" are actually involving married adults? My wife was a mother at 19, as are many in this state.

The problem of unwed mothers is larger than teenagers, and the teenage pregnancies are not as large as some would have you believe.

data deceiving | 3:38 p.m. May 21, 2009

I find it interesting that teen STD rates went up in every state in the US regardless whether states have abstinence or comprehensive sex ed - not to mention that comprehensive sex ed is fderally funded at a level 4 times higher than abstinence programs. Sounds like we need to find a new focus like figuring out how to get parents talking and kids scared enough to stop sexual activity. There is alot more consequences to sex than STDs - emotional consequences have been ignored too long.

What year is this? | 3:41 p.m. May 21, 2009

Regardless of your religious beliefs all tenaagers should have ready access to and education about contraception. We can still teach morals and values and abstinence while protecting our youth at the same time. This is PARTIALLY a cultural failure of so many families unwilling or unable to discuss the realities of life with their own children.

Ed J | 4:41 p.m. May 21, 2009

In a culture where we marry them young and encourage an all the kids you can create doctrine, are we surprised? Let's face it, sex in Utah is the only recreation that a couple can afford. Is there a connection between lots of kids, more poverty, more kids...

It's what happens when you let others think for you and direct your lives.

De-regulate parental controls | 5:01 a.m. May 22, 2009

Blaming it on parents is a joke in Utah. The state has full control of the activities of teens and parents have their hands tied in trying to teach them some moral and behavioral standards. Parents cannot keep children off the streets and attending teenage parties, that's child abuse. If parents could keep their teenage children at home by force or penalties then these young teenage boys and girls would keep their sex drives under control. Children do not have the mental capacity to abstain without controls and sex education does not deal with consequences of following their desires and lust. The state is reaping its rewards of taking over the parental roles of our youth. Teenagers know their parents cannot tell them what to do or keep them in line or the parents go to jail. Teens on drugs, in gangs, and having all these social problems are a product of the state and child protective services that have made parenting obsolete and criminal.

wait a minute | 11:07 a.m. May 22, 2009

Isn't Utah full of mormons? Where are the higher standards? For once, can someone answer with a backbone and not the typical Utah mormon as is well in zion answer. Now people are comparing the LDS youth to youth of other demoniations. Hey people in other states the youth of the church aren't held at a lower bar. Utah is complacent and makes a mockery of the church with it's teen age pregancy and prescription drug use. Just be normal! Just be happy with who you are and what you stand for.

Argument doesn't make sense | 11:42 a.m. May 22, 2009

Whats wrong with a 16, 17, 18 or 19 year old girl if she is married having a baby?

For centuries this has been a popular age for girls to have kids.

Now all the sudden its somehow wrong for teenagers to get pregnant?

Why?

RedShirt | 11:45 a.m. May 22, 2009

To "wait a minute | 11:07 a.m." Utah isn't full of LDS anymore. Last I heard, the state is only at 60% LDS, and that percent is decreasing every year. Although it is interesting that the more non-LDS people that move here, the more teen pregnancies rise. Could it be that there is some sort of correlation?

RE: wait a minute | 12:36 p.m. May 22, 2009

I don't remember religion or mormons mentioned in the story. You are part of the problem assuming that Utah is nothing but Mormons. Yes, there is a large mormon population and there are also some morons...that make stupid assumptions.

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.