Some of you may or may not have seen Tara Parker-Pope's article last week in the NY Times on the "myth" of teen pregnancy. While she is right that we overhype and overblow the "dangers" of teens' sexuality, don't be fooled that teen pregnancy isn't a problem. The U.S. still has the highest teen pregnancy rates when it comes to industrialized nations, and when you look at the rates for young women of color it goes through the roof.

Below is a letter that Joan Malin, the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of New York City sent in to the New York Times in response. While sensationalizing or demonizing our teens' sex lives will never be useful, let's not pretend that our work on sex education is over yet.

Dear Editor,

While Tara Parker-Pope is not yet ready to sound the alarm on teen pregnancy ("The Myth…" 1/27/09), her article glazes over a stark reality: teen pregnancy and STD rates for young women in the United States are higher than those in any other industrialized nation in the world.

Additionally, teen pregnancy and STD rates for women of color in the U.S. are disproportionately higher than those of the overall population, with African-American and Hispanic rates nearly three times those of white women. For all the mainstream media stories sensationalizing teenage sexuality, this is the statistic that goes largely overlooked.

While the hype surrounding teens and sex will likely continue, it has yet to lead to effective, comprehensive sex education programs, especially ones that reach at risk youth. Let's continue this conversation, but let's also give our kids access to the services and information they need to stay safe and healthy.

Joan Malin
President and CEO of Planned Parenthood NYC

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