Things aren't always as they seem

Ampersand has an excellent post looking at the prevalence of teen pregnancy among poor black teens and providing evidence that it's not the cause of their problems but a rational response to their life conditions. Sadly, his case involves the diminished health and career expectations of a black girl growing up under impoverished circumstances, which make her more likely to have a healthy baby before she gets too poisoned by pollution (!) and less likely to see any negative impact on her already limited options for economic advancement. Makes it a little hard to support the punitive approaches to family planning that are so popular these days...