The New Unmarried Moms

Sex, by its nature, isn't the most rational act in the moment. It's sex. Why do we insist on trying to play Nate Silver odds with an act often borne out of hormonal desire?

It's a conundrum that advocates of safe sex can't wiggle out of. On the one hand, we argue that we can't stop kids from having sex, from suppressing those hormones. But when they're in full, raging bloom, well, that's when reason should kick in. It doesn't. That's why there's a shit ton of abortions. The only thing that cuts down on abortions are laws banning some abortions. For awhile, that was having somewhat of a limiting effect on teen sex, too. But TV, magazine and computer culture is so overwhelming that some kids think they're screwed up if they're not screwing like rabbits. Our culture -- specifically our televised culture -- is as nihilistic as it's even been. Cable TV literally screams: Fuck the haters. Life's short. Get yours - and only yours. Master your domain.

It absolutely feeds into teen pregnancy (and other things.) Kids are now stupidly wearing pregnancy as a badge of accomplishment, a reward for having been stuck, to be crude. Are these kids pathetic parents? By and large, absolutely! Parenting isn't even real to them until it stares them in the face, and then, well, fuck this, where's grandpa and grandma? I know I speak, to certain extent, anecdotally and vaguely here, for a reason. But that's what it looks like on the ground. It's not promising.

 

It's not even close to that high. The condom effectiveness rate you quote (98%) is per year of perfect use.

 

So when do we get to shame the men that create single mothers?

Based on all the single mothers we know, that means there are a lot of men out there who have children they are not involved with -- not providing financially or in parenting, or both.

Do you know any of these men? Do you talk to them about their lack of involvement with their children? Do you convey your moral stance on the issue?

 

Great reminder.

 

People still ask questions like that, totally blind to biological realities of whose life gets sidetracked more because of a kid?

Huh. I thought the world had gotten smarter than that.

 

Those are rhetorical questions, as you know full well we all like to get together with the irresponsible fathers we know and have lunch at the strip club while talking about how women's college basketball sucks.

 

i have a few years on you, tiger ... and two daughters! and i still quite can't wrap my head around it being a benefit. ; )

 

Looks like it's a trend right now being 16 and pregnant.. Nothing like this when I was in school and im 39-year-old with a 17 year old daughter.. But on the other hand you cant watch tv nowadays without all these '16 and pregnant' shows..

 

But who will keep the orphanages in business? [YF]

 

What has been shown to greatly reduce teen pregnancies and abortions is access to effective, low cost birth control.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/10/05/study-free-birth-control-leads-to-fewer-abortions/

 

For some, it is.

 

I don't go any further than saying I'm pro-choice on the topic of abortions. It's not because I advocate for the slaughtering of all fetuses. It's just a subject that inevitably kills conversations.