Teen Pregnancy and P.R.

In an article that came out in the Dallas Morning News, Robert Garrett revealed that Texas currently has the highest teen pregnancy rates in the nation. href="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/110507dnmetteenbirths.35daddb.html">
While the article focuses on statistics and Erandy Gonzalez, a 17-year-old expectant mother, what really stood out to me is the fact that Texas is still teaching abstinence in schools.
Relying on outdated legislation passed by then-governor Bush, birth control measures are not passed on to teens in middle and/or high school. To add reckless insult, Governor Perry has taken the stance that abstinence is the only sure-fire way to prevent pregnancy. Therefore, even though more and more minors are becoming mothers in this state than any other, the best thing to do is ignore the problem?!??
From a public relations standpoint, this strikes me as atrocious. This is obviously an issue that needs to be addressed and action needs to be taken, but the powers that be are picking now to dig their heels in. Doesn't make sense...what's more, they have this Cathy Adams woman insinuating that the only reason that California's rates are lower is because they are liberally aborting pregnancies. Ok, where is any factual evidence to substantiate this? Pointing the finger at others seems like the second least effective strategy in this debacle.
Sadly the pregnant teen profiled thought she was on the pill, and was actually taking estrogen pills. If she had been educated, would this have happened? Probably not.
Though nobody wants to talk about teens having sex, the pregnancy rates would lead us to believe that they are, and maybe if the governer and his staff took this opportunity to improve the situation instead of ignoring it, some parents, who may not be ready for babies, would have a little more piece of mind and protection.