I taught sixth grade math for several years, so I will format these questions at that level. I believe the average sixth grader could answer the following questions, can you?

1. The above graph shows the teen pregnancy rate, from 1940 through to 2007. When does the steepest increase of teen pregnancy occur and how does that increase relate to Title X (contraception/safe sex) funding levels?
2. Do you think the level of funding that abstinence education received from 1980 until the early 90s was significant enough to have an impact?
3. Is it safe to say that contraception programs were the dominate approach during the 70s, 80s?
4. What occurred to teen pregnancy rates during the 70s and 80s?
5. When do teen pregnancy rates start to decline?
6. When does the steepest decline of teen pregnancy occur and how does that decline relate to the Title V and CBAE (abstinence) funding levels?
7. During what time period is contraception funding the ONLY federally funded program on the graph and what happens to teen pregnancy rates during this time?

The next question can not be answered by the average sixth grader and will be the topic of one of my next newsletters.

8. When did the abstinence movement begin and what impact did it have on teen pregnancy rates? The graph shows when federal funding for abstinence programs began, but when did the movement itself begin?

note: Graph numbers provided by the Centers for Disease control and Government Accounting Office. Graph created from those numbers by Dr. William A Duncan.