Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

Pregnant Children   The U.S. has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the developed world. The highest rates are in the states of New Mexico, Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. About 6% of girls/ young women 15 to 19 become pregnant each year. ( Guttmacher link ). Christianity is the dominant religion in the U.S. Christian morality dictates that people should have sex within marriage and most believe that abortion is not an option (some Christians offer consideration when a woman's life is at risk). Nevertheless, most teens have had sex by age 17 and nearly half by age 16.  When a girl becomes pregnant, she is at risk for a range of  health and life problems.  Anxiety and depression are common.  Should the girl have a choice in managing her pregnancy or should her parents be consulted? Questions Should parents be involved in the decision of a minor to have an abortion? Does religion play a role in attitudes tow...

A CULTURE  OF LIFE Life and Death  in 2013 The world’s largest religions generally promote a prolife position. Life is valuable from the moment of conception until death. In many countries, people of faith are outspoken about some aspect of life and death. Overall, the world is a less violent place ( Pinker, 2011 ), although it may not seem like it to those in war torn areas or to those who pay attention to news reports without an historical context. In Western Democracies, prolife has often been thought of in terms of a moral position against abortion. But in the view of many, including my own, prolife describes a culture that values life rather than death. In this summary, the reports offer brief quantitative information with links to sources for those interested in details. What’s missing from many reports is a careful look at the quality of life. This post is a look at the current state of a culture of life around the world. I am also on the lookout f...