“Teen birth, teen abortion, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates in the United States are higher than in most other industrialized countries. In 1999, 48 out of 1,000 U.S. women ages 15-19 gave birth”a rate 11 times greater than in the Netherlands and four times higher than in Germany. The teen abortion rate in the U.S. is more than three times that of France and nearly seven times that of the Netherlands.

Many factors influence the differences in teen sexual health between the U.S. and these industrialized nations: affordable family planning services; sustained, realistic media campaigns; public health policy grounded in pragmatism and research; and sexuality information characterized by open, honest dialogue. Philosophically, many European countries accept that adolescents, especially older ones, are going to be sexually active. Therefore, policies and programs focus on protective behaviors and skills. In the United States, policies, programs, and national initiatives focus on delaying sexual initiation as long as possible.

Yet, U.S. teens experience first sexual intercourse at about the same time and have more partners than teens in many other developed countries.”

Source: Advocates for Youth