If you’ve got a teenager, steer clear of Texas. Why? Because Texas holds the dubious distinction of not only being #1 in the nation for teen pregnancy but also for repeat teen pregnancy. For those teens, the ones who’ve already birthed a child—and their offspring—this news is a big deal. According to “Another Chance: Preventing Additional Births to Teen Mothers,” a publication from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the birth of an additional child to a teen mother reduces the likelihood that she will complete her education or become self-sufficient.

 

Let’s talk about cycles. A Time magazine article cites these statistics: half of those who give birth before age 18 complete high school (as compared with 96% of those who postpone childbearing). On average, they earn half as much money and are far more likely to be dependent on welfare: 71% of females under 30 who receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children had their first child. And what about the children? They are more likely to fall ill during childhood, and more likely to become parents while still teens themselves. None of these stats about teen pregnancy constitutes new news, and of course we all know Texas to be pioneering epicenter of the abstinence-only sex education model. Texas also requires teens to inform one parent about abortion 48 hours before the procedure. Another statistic: teen abortion rates dropped slightly after the parental notification law took effect, although it’s not known how many teens crossed state lines for the service. What has been documented about states with parental consent or notification laws is that blocking access also decreases teens’ access to other reproductive health services. In other words, over the years, not becoming a parent has become increasingly difficult for Texas teens.

 

Here’s the good news: turning the tide is possible. What’s necessary to do so is considerable effort that includes both broad thinking and broad action. The risk factors for teen pregnancy, according to a study published by Planned Parenthood of Georgia, include poverty, a history of sexual abuse, poor performance in school, and lack of consistent parenting and lack of information about such topics as sex, birth control and reproductive health. Given how many factors truly contribute to the reality of teen pregnancy, debate about abstinence-only sex education versus comprehensive sex education really constitutes the tip of a very large iceberg—and most of the ice gets ignored while arguments from those opposing teen sexual activity try to advocate it being stopped by not talking about it—and yet critical to change outcomes. One can liken the anti-teen sex advocates to the anti-drug champions of Nancy Reagan’s era: “Just say no.” If only change were that simple, right?

 

Successful models are out there, ones that look to antecedents of teen pregnancy like poverty and try to build community partnerships so that the whole child—or whole teen—can benefit from having her or his needs addressed, basic necessities that help young people thrive like academic support, encouragement, access to basic health care and adequate nutrition.

 

Systemic and broad thinking and comprehensive action addressing problems such as teen pregnancy represent the only possible approaches to make meaningful headway so that young people really get to choose when or whether to become parents. Time and again, such oversimplified questions—often ones that really do not have satisfactory answers such as when does life begin—put a kibosh upon addressing ways to make actual people’s lives better and healthier. Should teens be sexually active? That, too, is the wrong question. Without ensuring that teens can make decisions around sexual activity in informed and responsible ways, the question is not really worth trying to answer. Should teens be forced to live in poverty? To that question, there’s a clear answer: no. And yet, for so many in power—and so many of us not in power, too—solving problems like poverty doesn’t top the agenda. In theory, sure, but we—as a nation, say choosing its next President—haven’t made poverty a central issue. But without a willingness to be complex in our thinking and far-reaching in our actions, we can’t really take on these kinds of social problems successfully.