Need for control

United States' teenage pregnancy rates for unmarried African-American females is not on the rise - it is in a marked decline.

A convenient method of birth control known by the brand name, Depo-Provera, or more commonly, "the shot," has contributed to the fall in pregnancy rates among black teens. Their rate of pregnancy last year was at its lowest level in 40 years, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

The regimen of the contraceptive is relatively simple, especially in comparison to its closest competitor, the birth-control pill. Nearly 100 percent effective, the only requirement is a visit once every three months to the doctor for the single shot in the hip or arm.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, almost one in four teenagers interviewed in 1995 were not adhering to the daily pill regimen.

When teenagers are wrapped in hectic schedules, the shot is almost the ideal method of contraception, when used in conjunction with a condom to prevent against transmission of sexually-transmitted diseases.

Though the wholesale cost of the Depo-Provera shot is at least three times the cost of a three-month supply of contraceptive pills, government health officials need to recognize the obvious value of this birth-control method and should subsidize the clinics which supply this successful protection method to all young females.