While the national teen birth rate has slowed, Texas has made far less headway, alarming public health officials and child advocates.
Texas teens lead the nation in having babies. Last month, the nonprofit group Child Trends conferred another No. 1 ranking on Texas. In the latest statistics available, 24 percent of the state's teen births in 2004 were not the girl's first delivery.
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Texas' policy is to deny contraceptives without parental consent wherever possible and to push an abstinence-only sex education program in public schools
(...)Meanwhile, state leaders stoutly defend teaching abstinence – and without parents' permission, only abstinence – in the schools and wherever possible requiring parents to sign off on youngsters' obtaining contraceptives.
A spokeswoman said Gov. Rick Perry sees no need for new legislation.
"The governor is satisfied with current law, in that abstinence is the only 100 percent [effective] way to prevent pregnancy," said spokeswoman Allison Castle.
Why don't we, while we're at it... ensure that they don't have equal access to insurance too.