Dancing Naked Summary

In Pittsburgh there are many young adults having sexual contact and getting pregnant and these are only one of the places with lots of young pregnant women. McKeesport high school in Pittsburgh everyone thinks it’s normal to see two or three pregnant girls at a time walking down the halls, but it doesn’t mean people don’t gossip about them. National Campaign to Prevent Teen pregnancy statistics show that teens are waiting until the age of 16 to have sex, that is 2 years longer then they use to. Teen pregnancy rates in Allegheny County reached an all time low in 2003, with 984 births with girls of the age of 19 and under. In 2000 the number was 1,197 and in 1990 it was about 1,620. Pittsburgh schools teach a lot of health education a few of class sessions are spent discussing healthy relationships. Most teachers bring outside providers to teach the benefits of abstinence and danger of sexually transmitted diseases. The federal government supports this educational strategy, allotting Pennsylvania more than $6million in the federal funds for abstinence only until marriage programs in 2005 according to the state Health Department. “We don’t teach these stuff because we know it’ll be successful, but because we think it’s the right message to be sending” Denny Pattyn, founder of The Silver Ring Thing, an organization that brings young people together. While the faith-based message must be watered down in schools, Pattyn said, it allows teens to make a disciplined decision about sexual contact with others. In 1995 when teen pregnancy was at its height, 1,400 young women the age of 15 to 19 were interviewed, and another 1,200 young women from various regions were interviewed in 2002 for their sexual activity and contraceptive use. While many think giving students the hard facts about sexual contact and pregnancy will leave young adults better informed, and to make the right decisions.