The study shows that increased exposure to abuse during childhood raises
women's chances of having had sex by age 15, of perceiving themselves as
being at risk of HIV and AIDS, and of having had 30 or more partners. The
authors note that this risky behavior may be an attempt by women to achieve
the intimacy that was lacking in their childhood. They further observe that
having grown up in families unable to provide needed protection, these women
may be unprepared to protect themselves and may grossly underestimate the
risks they are taking.

Also in the September/October issue of Family Planning Perspectives:

--"The Effect of Partners' Characteristics on Teenage Pregnancy and Its
Resolution" , by
Madeline Zavodny of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, finds that more
than 17% of teenage women become pregnant during their first nonmarital
sexual relationship. Characteristics of young women and their partners
(particularly age, religion, and race and ethnicity), and the similarities
and differences between partners, affect the likelihood that women will have
a nonmarital pregnancy and how the pregnancy is resolved.

--"Timing of Alcohol and Other Drug Use and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among
Unmarried Adolescents and Young Adults"
, by John S. Santelli
et al. of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, analyzes the
associations between alcohol and drug use and risky sexual behaviors,
including having sex without a condom and having sex with more than two
partners within a three-month period. The authors consider the disinhibiting
effects of alcohol and drugs, as well as the possibility that a general
risk-taking mentality makes certain teenagers more likely to engage in both
types of behaviors.

--"Choice of and Satisfaction with Methods of Medical and Surgical Abortion
Among U.S. Clinic Patients"
, by S. Marie Harvey
of the University of Oregon et al., reports that the overwhelming majority
of women surveyed were satisfied with their choice of abortion method,
whether it was surgical or medical. The authors suggest that when counseling
women about their options, providers ask their patients which attributes
they value more highly: privacy and naturalness (valued by those who prefer
medical abortion), or swift resolution and avoidance of pain (valued by
those who prefer surgical abortion).

--"Childbearing in Cohabiting Unions: Racial and Ethnic Differences"
, by Wendy D. Manning
of Bowling Green State University, finds that black and Hispanic women are
much more likely than white women to become pregnant while unmarried and
living with a partner. Once a child is born, black and Hispanic women are
more likely than white women to remain in their cohabiting relationship,
rather than marrying or leaving the relationship.

--"The Influence of Significant Others on Australian Teenagers' Decisions
About Pregnancy Resolution"
, by Ann Evans of
Australian National University, finds that both partners and parents
influence young women's decisions about whether to give birth or have an
abortion. However, partners' influence tends to be direct, while parents'
influence is indirect (daughters follow the examples of their mothers and
sisters).

--"The NIH Condom Report: The Glass is 90% Full"
, by Willard Cates,
Jr., of Family Health International, outlines the findings of the National
Institutes of Health report on condom effectiveness, emphasizing that the
report's main conclusion is that condoms are relatively effective at
preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unintended pregnancies.
While the report also found that the data are inadequate to prove condom
effectiveness against some STDs, Cates argues that this indicates the need
for further research, not the inadequacy of condoms.
For more information about any of these articles, Family Planning
Perspectives or The Alan Guttmacher Institute, please contact Rebecca Wind
or Susan Tew at 212-248-1111 or e-mail [email protected]. All
current and archived articles can be downloaded from The Alan Guttmacher
Institute's Web site, .