Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) praised “rural conservative communities” that “value life” as she announced that her teenage son and girlfriend are expecting a child.
While speaking at an event hosted by conservative non-profit Moms for America this week, Boebert, 36, announced she will be a grandmother because her 17-year-old son will become a father next month.
“Now any of you who have young children who are giving life, there’s some questions that pop up. There’s some fear that arises,” she said.
“One of our biggest fears was not what are you going to do? What are people going to say? Our biggest fear is: Are they going to choose life?” Boebert continued. “And they did. And we’re so proud of them for making that sacrifice and being selfless in that position to say there’s something greater here.”
The conservative firebrand, who got pregnant as a teenager and subsequently dropped out of high school, praised high teenage mom rates in rural conservative areas across the country.
“There’s something special about rural conservative communities — they value life. If you look at teen pregnancy rates throughout the nation, well, they’re the same in rural and urban areas. However, abortion rates are higher in urban areas, and teen mom rates are higher in rural, conservative areas because we understand the preciousness of the life that is about to be born,” Boebert said.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 18.9 out of every 1000 females in urban areas ages 15-19 gave birth in 2015. That is far lower than the 30.9 out of every 1000 teenage females in rural areas with populations of fewer than 50,000 that gave birth that year, PBS reported.
A study published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) in 2019 suggested that teen birth rates are higher in rural areas because teens might be vulnerable to “local conditions that limit unintended pregnancy management options.” Teens living in rural areas also face geographical barriers to access safe abortion, Newsweek reported.
This problem will likely get worse as several Republican states have implemented strict laws banning abortion.
