Abortion, Teen Pregnancy and DC

A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court voted to take control of a woman's body and put it in the hands of the government. While late-term abortions are rare, the high court voted to prohibit them, even if the mother's life is at risk. This is a scary decision because it could signal the first of other attacks by the religious right to weaken a woman's consitutional right to choose.

This abortion decision got me thinking about teen pregancy, particulary in the District of Columbia, which has the highest rate in the nation. We are truly in a crisis here. Children having children, and so many born into poverty with little hope of growing up in secure families or having even basic needs met, seems to me a questionable choice. Sex education must become standard for all children growing up in DC. Teaching abstinence may, in some cases, delay the onset of sexual activity, but recent studies show that teaching abstinence alone may be inneffective in preventing teen pregnancy.

I do not in any way advocate abortion as a method of birth control. But the reality is, a restriction on Roe v. Wade may only make this problem worse. I'm an idealist at heart, but we need to be pragmatic about this issue. A woman's right to choose needs to remain a fundamental right.