Teen Pregnancy growing in acceptance

According to a government report that came out on Wednesday, the percentage of US teens that have had sexual intercourse or say that they'd be pleased if they or their partner becomes pregnant hasn't changed much since the start of the decade. But it appears that there is a growing acceptance of having babies outside of marriage.

Based on in-person interviews with 1,381 females and 1,386 males ages 15 to 19 in 2006-2008, more than 4 in 10 never-married U.S. teens have had sexual intercourse at least once. Also teens have started accepting pregnancies. In 2002, 25% male teens who'd never had sex cited "don't want to get female pregnant" as the main reason. In the latest survey, that figure had dropped to 12%.

Also the percentage of male teens who agree with the statement "It is OK for an unmarried female to have a child" has increased from 50% in 2002 to 64% in 2006-2008.

The percentage of survey respondents who said they'd be a "little pleased" or "very pleased" if they were to get pregnant or get a partner pregnant remained unchanged from 2002: 24% of sexually experienced boys, 22% of sexually experienced girls.

"It seems to me we have failed as a nation to convince teens that it is in their best interest for them to postpone families," says Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.