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Every statistic I see for condom effectiveness (1 2 3) lists their prevention rate assuming correct and consistent useage. The default assumption when discussing every birth control method apart from abstinence seems to be, you measure it assuming it is used correctly.

I'm not American. And I think the number of vociferous replies, including yours, I've gotten to these posts shows the tendancy of Americans to polarize on almost any issue, frequently down political/religious lines (which seems to be synonmous there).

The right pushes abstinence as the best way to control pregnancy/STDs among teenagers (which I agree is stupid). The other side then can't see any reference to abstinence as birth control without immediately jumping on it as if it were an endorsement of the right's policies. That leads to people like you who take my post, which says "if you're abstinent, you won't get pregnant", and trying to argue that abstinence is a poor educational method (which I agree with, but which my post says nothing about).

By improving education, equality, and economic opportunity the population will reduce.

A blank assertion which (without significant elaboration) is unlikely to be correct.

From the CDC:

"National Center for Health Statistics"
Mother's Educational Level Influences Birth Rate"
... "Educational attainment is a very critical factor in accounting for lifetime fertility differentials. Women with 1 or more years of college have sharply lower lifetime fertility than less educated women, regardless of race or Hispanic origin. Women with college degrees can be expected to complete their childbearing with 1.6-2.0 children each; 1.7 for non-Hispanic white, 1.6 for non-Hispanic black, and 2.0 for Hispanic women. For women with less education the total expected number of children are: 3.2 children for those with 0-8 years of education; 2.3 children for those with 9-11 years of education and 2.7 for high school graduates."

"Japan birth rate off record low as economy improves"

"Adolescent Sexual Health in Europe and the U.S.--Why the Difference?"
...
"In these nations, societal openness and comfort in dealing with sexuality, including teen sexuality, and pragmatic governmental policies create greater, easier access to sexual health information and services for all people, including teens. Easy access to sexual health information and services leads to better sexual health outcomes for French, German, and Dutch teens when compared to U.S. teens."

"Study urges action to raise birth rate"

FERTILITY: While most Taiwanese are married by the time they reach 40, well educated women are more likely to stay single, the latest study shows"

"California Reduces Teen Birth Rate Through Sex Education"[pdf]

Associated Press (05.10.04)
California's teen birth rate has fallen from 11th nationwide in 1991 to 21st in 2002. The drop of more than 40 percent is attributed to a state-sponsored program that provides information about abstinence and birth control. The pregnancy figures cited by California Wellness Foundation, which runs a statewide teen pregnancy initiative, were included in a brief the foundation gave California lawmakers last week in Washington. The drop exceeds the 30 percent decline in teen pregnancies nationally during the same period.

"The Chinese Economy"

Desperate for a baby boom
By Kalinga Seneviratne

SINGAPORE - Alarmed by a falling birth rate and its impact on the economy, Singapore badly wants its well-educated, career-oriented women to have more babies.

So, at 2.1-something children per female (your figure), that would class America as not being a developed nation.

The US is a special case, as I said "As the US is becoming more religious I wonder how much religion influences this as some of them call their followers to "multiply"."

Going through the rest of your reply, I see more arguments and one "table", I wish /. would allow html tables, you ran off on a spreadsheet with numbers you made up, without any real data. As I provided links to data as well as links to articles on how some governments are concerned about declining birthrates due to improvements in economic opportunities, educations, and or equality c

For the first, there is: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/euro pean/summary.htm

For the second statement I advice you to read the British Medical Journal, http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/335/7613/248

Even though this is about abstinence and the effect on sexually transmitted diseases (NIL), I was carelessly extrapoliting this to teenage pregnancy (because the methods to avoid both are the same).

Most children are abused by someone they know and trust, although boys are more likely than girls to be abused outside of the family. A study in three states found 96 percent of reported rape survivors under age 12 knew the attacker. Four percent of the offenders were strangers, 20 percent were fathers, 16 percent were relatives and 50 percent were acquaintances or friends. Among women 18 or older, 12 percent were raped by a family member, 33 percent by a stranger and 55 percent by an acquaintance.

Anyone who does, can tell the difference how sexuality is treated differently. And no, I'm not talking about being able to see a nipple (which in most civilized countries would not cause an outrage, unlike in some religiously retarded countries), I'm talking about how sex is used to sell articles or how obsessed people get with their own looks or sexuality.

There's a MUCH healthier approach to sexuality in most European countries than there is in the US. Most clearly this is visible in the sex education targeted towards teenagers, compared to the absurd policies and opinions regularly seen in the US.

Adolescent Sexual Health in Europe and US -- Why the Difference?

Each summer since in 1998, Advocates for Youth and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte sponsor annual study tours to France, Germany, and the Netherlands to explore why adolescent sexual health outcomes are so much more positive in the three European countries than in the U.S.

Rights. Respect. Responsibility. The study tour participants -- policy makers, researchers, youthserving professionals, foundation officers, and youth -- have found that this trilogy of values underpins a social philosophy regarding adolescent sexual health in these countries. Each of these nations has an unwritten social contract with young people: "We'll respect your right to act responsibly, giving you the tools you need to avoid unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV."

In these nations, societal openness and comfort in dealing with sexuality, including teen sexuality, and pragmatic governmental policies create greater, easier access to sexual health information and services for all people, including teens. Easy access to sexual health information and services leads to better sexual health outcomes for French, German, and Dutch teens when compared to U.S. teens.

Once again, RealityMaster proves his own stupidity.

I don't see any evidence of censorship, even in the PDF report. The reports were still published, albeit without the administration's blessings.

To summarize this page, the EPA's Report on the Environment in 2003 was released without a section on the climate or any mention of global warming -- because White House officials (this site does not name them) allegedly wanted to change that to an extent that would misrepresent the scientific consensus, by including discredited research and . Also, the White House (yes, directly) allegedly blocked reprinting of a brochure listing ways for farmers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

They distort this conclusion to represent that Texas has higher pregnancy rates that most other states. Of course, they really mean that Texas has higher rates among secually active couples.

No, actually, that means what it says. They might be lying, but that should be easy to demonstrate. This is a source the UCS used: (Scroll past the quotes to "Texas' Recent Record") http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/fact sheet/fsbush.htm

Quote:
* Texas' teen pregnancy rate is 113 per 1,000 teen females aged 15 to 19. Only Nevada, California, Arizona, and Florida have higher teen pregnancy rates.
* Texas has the second worst teen birth rate among 15- to 19-year-old females, ranking 49th out of 50 states. Only Mississippi has a higher teen birth rate.

(I suppose that means Texas has a low rate of abortions and miscarriages? That's something good.)

A very simple google search for ["teen pregnancy rates" texas] seems to confirm these statistics.

In other words, if you teach abstinence, and they have sex anyways, they are more likely to get pregnant.

Um. Well, that makes sense to me. And they will. Really. It may surprise you to learn this, but teenagers are both rebellious AND horny. (A shocker, I know.)

Really, I'm not trying to push a radical gay whale-saving communist agenda on you, but you ought to at least read the site instead of briefly skimming it before you accuse them of spin-doctoring and shoddy research. And I personally don't imagine that it would be much different under a different administration. This one is probably more extreme, but the same shit goes on in any bureaucracy.

We already know a lot of eggheads don't like our cowboy president.

Why, what a subpontibian thing to say :-)