A new report found that a third of teenage moms surveyed didn't use protection because, for one reason or another, they didn't think they could get pregnant. The AP reports that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention study didn't ask girls their reasons but that anecdotes dishearteningly echo the many urban legends that might convince a girl of their infertility: they didn't think they could get pregnant on their first time, they didn't think they could get pregnant while on their period, etc.

The report seems like it will give much needed ammunition to those fighting for more frank approaches to sex ed. (We're thinking of this recent profile of a sex-positive teacher in The New York Times Magazine.)  Of course it's a survey of about 5,000 women who gave birth after an unwanted pregnancy, not a survey of all teens, and the researchers quoted in the AP note that teen birth rates are falling. So there's your silver lining: There's a message getting through to some teens.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at erandall at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.