Preliminary data indicate the teen birth rate in Ohio dropped for the third year in a row - to at least a 21-year low - while the teen birth rate nationwide hit to an all-time low.
This is due to teens having less sex, using contraceptives more or both. While efforts to convince teenagers to abstain for moral and physiological reasons are laudable, youngsters may be avoiding sex, or at least pregnancy, for more practical reasons.
Health experts, the Dayton?Daily News reported, say a fear of sexually transmitted diseases and concern about becoming a parent during a weak economy are influencing young people's behaviors.
While that may be the case, the trend still is welcome news.
"I think we are staring square in the face of one of the nation's real great success stories of the past few decades," said Bill Albert, chief program officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "A combination of less sex and more contraception is driving the teen birth rate down."
Apparently, even if teens aren't being good for goodness' sake, they still are smart enough to know what's good for them.
