Applying Science in the U.S.–Don’t Expect Too Much
The piece to the left here was posted to social media by Paul Scott, co-founder of Plug In America, whom I met when I was asked to moderate a panel on electric transportation almost exactly 10 years ago (April, 2009). I publish it here because of the conversation that follows, and the hopes that readers may find it interesting.
(Paul’s friend) Lyn Rach: Have you got a source for this? If I could get it in scientific terms, that would be great.
Paul Scott: Please see this. The Netherlands’ adolescent birth rate is decreasing, and stands at 4.5 per 1,000 births. In 2015, 1,574 adolescent girls gave birth: almost 80% of all teen mothers were 18 years old, and 8% were below the age of 16 (CBS, 2016). In 2017, a total of 194,377 babies were born to women aged 15–19 years, for a birth rate of 18.8 per 1,000 women in this age group. This is another record low for U.S. teens and a drop of 7% from 2016. Birth rates fell 10% for women aged 15–17 years and 6% for women aged 18–19 years.
Craig: I hate to sound cynical, but it sounds like you both somehow think that science enters into policy making here in the U.S. Realize that you’re talking about a country whose leaders (and 40% of voters) believe climate change is a liberal hoax and that tax breaks for billionaires trickle down to working class Americans. And all this insanity comes before you throw the hypocrisy of the Christianity right with respect to sex on top of it.
Think about this for a second. The entertainment media that is turning millionaires into billionaires is force-feeding our young people the most promiscuous and misogynistic poison imaginable, but we think that teaching sexual abstinence is going to prevent teen sex and unwanted pregnancies?
Some people say that the attempt to make birth control scarce and abortion illegal has nothing to do with reducing abortion rates, since the precise opposite is true. They assert, rather, that’s it’s just another attempt to subjugate women. Whether or not this is the case is speculation, but here’s something you can count on: science doesn’t figure into the equation. At all.
The Netherlands has an extremely open attitude to discussing sex with none of the embarrassment and reticence of English speaking nations. I believe this goes as far as discussing sex and contraception in classes for 6 year olds – including putting a condom on a banana. Parents typically talk freely with their children so by the time they hit puberty, they are well equipped to make responsible decisions understanding the emotional and social implications of whatever they might decide. Incidentally, I believe the age of consent there is 14, in spite of which they typically start to have sex at an older age than in the UK or USA.