Pregnancy in adolescents.

The United States must improve its efforts to reduce teen pregnancy. We occupy an alarming position in the developed world from the standpoint of the magnitude of the pregnancy issue. While our society promotes sexuality to sell all sorts of consumer goods, it still refuses for the most part to make contraceptives familiar and available to sexually active teens. The youngest adolescents, 10 to 14 years, are having sex and babies at an increasing rate. Their children will have limited futures. Only by stepping up our efforts to prevent early pregnancy will we make possible a life of opportunity and choice for the young people of our country. Consequences will be costly and tragic if we do not.