Don’t recoil from the coil

THE teenage pregnancy rate is strikingly higher in America than in many other rich countries (see chart). So are unplanned pregnancies in general: over half of American conceptions are accidental, compared with a third in France. One reason is that Americans have been slow to embrace the use of long-acting contraceptives such as the intrauterine device (IUD) and the hormonal implant. Only 6% of American women of childbearing age use an IUD; more than 20% of Norwegians do (see ). Implants and IUDs have the advantage that, once fitted, they last for years. Unlike the Pill, you don’t need to remember to take one every day. Unlike condoms, you don’t have to summon the willpower to stop and put one on.