Money makes the world go around. We live in a very greedy society, so why wouldn’t it work? Is it good or bad? That I don’t know. Money is a very good motivator though. You go to work do a good job and get paid. So why not get paid for having good test scores or not getting pregnant. The pregnancy thing though, it is putting all the responsibilty on the girl. Last time I checked it still requires male and female to get pregnant.

………Money is the reason that most people go to work every day. If the program is producing desired results they may be on the right track. Sounds like sour grapes from Mr. Albert

$1 a day to not get pregnant, $7 week, $28 a month ? Isn’t this about what a month’s supply of birth control pills cost? Prevention, including comprehensive sex ed & access to birth control, has been shown to reduce teen pregnancy. Is this money coming from state taxes? There’s better ways of spending taxpayers’ $$ than ‘rewarding’ “good” students.

How do they know some of these girls aren’t out there getting the morning after pill weekly, or if they get pregnant and without telling anyone, they terminate the pregnancy. Or what about the teenage girls who are giving oral sex to multiple partners, and contracting herpes, ghonerria (sp?), etc…Is that any better? Oh, well they aren’t getting pregnant, so it’s all good.

This is absolutely ridiculous.

I’m a utilitarian by philosophical bent. What’s good is what works. I cannot imagine that a piddling $1 per day really causes a girl to re-think her “position,” as it were, in the heat of the moment, if she has not already determined that she does not want to have sex with whomever the potential father could be, but if the statistics shows that such a cheap payoff works, go for it.

If it’s money, or not wanting to ruin their figures, or whatever the motivation might be to prevent teen pregnancy, that is a good thing and should be encouraged. Especially as parental oversight and inculcation of pride, a sense of values, and the disapproval that used to be registered societally regarding children having children are all apparently no longer in vogue — like I said, whatever works….

There are two kinds of stimulus, negative and positive. I’d rather they do the negative stimulus (if you don’t do this, then these are the consequences) than the positive.

I’m not against kids having children as long as they can afford them on their own and not affect others. It’s only when the taxpayer has to kick in when I want to have a say. If anyone has kids that they cannot afford to age 18, they should have to do hard labor to pay for their kids. A child and the taxpayer should not suffer because their parents cannot afford to pay for them to live.

Since I don’t smoke, will someone pay me to continue to not smoke? Will someone pay me not to eat foods that are bad for me?

Take this dollar every day, put it between your knees and hold it there. Then you won’t get pregnant!!

Anyway, stupid idea, more tax dollars out the door. At least the girls can save up those dollars to buy drugs. Do you think they will get pregnant on purpose if they lost their $1 a day fix? Doubtful. How about we give daddies a dollar a day to take care of their freakin’ brood.

Regarding larry’s comment on them buying drugs with the money, the way I understood it on last night’s news the money could only be used towards college tuition. So there goes your negative using the money to buy drugs comment.

Dan, you offer a very compelling argument, from both common-sense and gut-level preference standpoints. You are right that unwanted childbirths shouldn’t become a taxpayer burden, but despite everything, they do,and always will. And a dollar a day is light years cheaper than the support of that unwanted child will be.

Further, I truly, deeply hope that my tax dollars continue to ensure that these children who did not ask to be born are not neglected. I resent every dollar of mine that goes to fatten the Pentagon, but I am glad and relieved to know that very rarely will any children starve as long they are allowed access to public funds, no matter how or why they came to need them. Call it “welfare,” “The Dole,” whatever derisive term you want. I give thanks to the wellspring of human kindness it exists, if it means children will have at least a chance to survive and, perhaps, to thrive.

We MUST do everything in our power to stem the tide of teenage pregnancy in this country. Look at the rolls of the thousands of abandoned children who are in foster homes if they are “lucky,” or who are warehoused in horrible circumstances in virtually evey state in the union. Look at the cost to them and to society later on because of abuse, neglect, and the lack of a decent family and societal infrastructure around them. It’s Priority #1, right up there with national health care.

I don’t want to be part of a world or country that lets its helpless children suffer, so no matter what, as long as we allow unwanted children to be born to parents who cannot and will not provide the decent homes they must have, we must care for them. Preventing the pregnancies is the ONLY logical way out.

I can’t imagine one dollar curbing my desire for sex when I was young. If it works, great. If 100 girls got pregnant and didn’t tell for three months when it became evident, drew $30.00 a month each for that time, $9000.00 would be paid out with little chance of getting anything back. I guess I’m being negative but that could happen. That could be a waste of taxpayers money for sure.

I have to agree with Dan S. There should be consequences for bad behavior instead of reward for normal behavior.