Facts and Data: Religious Red States Rank at the Bottom on Teen Pregnancy
Note: This is Part 2 in my series exposing that the most dangerous, backward, uneducated, and poorest states are overwhelmingly led by conservative Republicans.
DAY 2 DATA: CONSERVATIVE AND RELIGIOUS RED STATES RANK AT THE BOTTOM ON TEEN PREGNANCY
By overwhelming margins, conservatives and religious followers are the most fanatic opponents of female reproductive rights. They strictly oppose sex education being taught in schools, government programs for contraception, funding organizations like Planned Parenthood, and legalized abortion. They often cite society’s “moral decay” as the primary cause for many problems, including high teen pregnancy rates.
What are the costs of these conservative and religion-based laws and leaders? Are ultra-conservative and religious-oriented policies effective? We’ll answer that here and now with facts.
Let’s agree on one thing: Teen pregnancy is not a good thing. Teenagers shouldn’t be having babies. They should be getting an education, planning their futures, and enjoying life. Low teen pregnancy rates are a sign of success. High teen pregnancy rates are a sign of failure.
Let’s look at data up through the year 2020. Which states rank as the best and the worst for teen pregnancy?
Notice a startling fact. The WORST STATES FOR TEEN PREGNANCY are all Republican Red States. Take a look at the worst nine states for high teen birth rates (stats are per capita — which means what are the chances of any teen girl getting pregnant in that state, statistically speaking?):
Worst States for Teen Pregnancy
1. Mississippi
2. Arkansas
3. Louisiana
4. Oklahoma
5. Alabama
6. Tennessee
7. West Virginia
8. Kentucky
9. Texas
10. New Mexico
This map tells us everything we need to know about the failure of conservative social policy. It’s an outright indictment against organized religion since we see an overwhelming correlation between Christian conservatism and states with high teen pregnancy rates. Look at the map and the shades of color. The darker the color, the worse the state is for teen girls.
What do Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennesee, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Texas all have in common? Answer: THESE STATES ARE THE WORST FAILURES ON TEEN PREGNANCY IN THE UNITED STATES. They are also overwhelmingly Republican.
Now, let’s look at the opposite side of the data. The lighter the color, the lower the teen pregnancy rates. What do Oregon, Minnesota, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island all have in common? Answer: THESE STATES HAVE THE LOWEST TEEN PREGNANCY RATES IN THE UNITED STATES. They also tend to be less religious and far more proactive in teaching sex education and protecting female reproductive rights. They are also overwhelmingly Democratic.
But wait. If you think these stats are ugly now, wait until Roe v. Wade is overturned. Watch what happens to teen pregnancy rates and the consequences in conservative and religious states when services that help address this problem are reduced and eliminated. These red states will truly be “blood red.”
Claim #1: Conservative states with fundamentalist religious values are successful in reducing teen pregnancy rates — FALSE
Claim #2: Liberal states with more permissive attitudes about sex and female reproduction have the lowest teen pregnancy rates — TRUE
I’ll be back daily to post several other metrics (most from official federal government statistics) that are irrefutable as to how the most dangerous, backward, uneducated, and poorest states are overwhelmingly led by conservative Republicans.
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READ MY PREVIOUS ARTICLE(S) IN THIS SERIES:
