Teen birth rates higher in the more religious states.

A study was performed at Drexel University College of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh, revealing that states with a higher religiosity, tend to have a higher teen birth rate.

I find it rather amusing, actually. Deeply religious people are constantly frowning upon teen pregnancy. And they should. I was a teen mother. I know how hard it is, and teenager girls should know how hard it is, so they try to avoid it.

So why the higher rates in religious states?

A contributing factor, as the survey suggests, is that religion often frowns upon the use of contraception. It seems plausible. But teen sex is teen sex, regardless of whether or not you're using contraception. So it leaves me wondering, what do these parents think? They teach their kids that contraception is bad, and end up with a teenage daughter (or son) pregnant. Does it cause them to rethink their teachings? I doubt it. My guess is, they force their kids into a teenage marriage, that is bound to fail.

Another reason, I believe, is that religious families often push their daughters into early marriages. Or they approve the early marriages that their children want. So they sign the paper, allowing it to happen. Thus, we end up with a sixteen year old wife, with a baby.

So somehow, it is believed that marriage makes it better? It's still a teen pregnancy, regardless of the piece of paper binding those teenagers. This country is so extremely twisted.