Teen pregnancy rates

Via Daily Kos, we have this cool graphic of teen pregnancy rates by state. For easy digestion, it is coded by red state and blue state. And surprise, surprise, red states lead the country in getting teens knocked up.

Why bring this up? A couple reasons. First, I like it. Second, House Republicans have spent a lot of time in recent years trying to dumb-down sex ed in this state. Abstinence-only programs, super-gag rules...Republicans just love keeping people uneducated. A lot of times, these proposed laws come straight from other red states. So next time Rep. Mary Liz Holberg is talking about the latest keep-'em-stupid law modeled after Kansas, it would be nice if people would take the time to ask why we want to have Kansas' teen pregnancy rates?

Republicans are obsessed with sex ed like they are obsessed with all things sexual, and this chart shows how dangerous this is. Giving kids the facts about sex leads to lower rates of pregnancy and STD transmission. It's a proven fact. Preventing frank discussions about sex by arguing that talking with teens about sex encouraging sexual activity is like not teaching kids about calories because they might want to go out and buy a Big Mac.