Teen pregnancy and birth control

Guests: Anne Teitelman, Greta Klingler, Mary Ott, Nora Becker

The teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. is a lot higher than other developed countries – 3 out of 10 girls under the age of 20 gets pregnant. But recent studies have found that providing long-acting birth control to sexually active teens – things like IUDs – can significantly reduce that rate. Colorado brought their teen pregnancy rate down by 40%. And while teen sex rates have plateaued in recent years, American teens are still having a lot of sex compared to many other countries. This hour, we take a look at teen pregnancy, sexuality, and contraception. Guest host Mary Cummings-Jordan talks with ANNE TEITELMAN, associate professor of nursing at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing, MARY OTT, associate professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine and GRETA KLINGLER, family planning unit supervisor for the Colorado Department of Health. And we’ll discuss a new study on out-of-pocket contraception costs since the Affordable Care Act passed with NORA BECKER, a MD/PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania.