In an attempt to reduce the number of teen pregnancies, UNC at Greensboro is providing classes in abstinence and the use of contraceptives to girls ages 12 to 18 — and paying them a dollar a day not to get pregnant.

Girls who attend the 90-minute weekly meetings – and who don’t get pregnant – collect $7 at the end of each week. The money is put aside and can be collected when the girls enter college.

But is it ethical to pay girls not to have babies? Or is this a case of desperate times calling for desperate measures?

The teen birth rate is on the rise these past two years, with 7.2 pregnancies for every 1,000 teenage girls.

Although a handful of girls enrolled in College Bound Sisters have gotten pregnant since it began more than 10 years ago, there are also success stories. This fall, in fact, four graduates will begin college with the help of the money – in some cases, $3,000 – they’ve earned in the program.

Good idea or bad incentive for staying baby-free? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Next Story of the Week>>

This Week’s Top Stories

1. Paying girls not to get pregnant
2. ‘War and Peace’ … in a handful of sentences
3. Facebook and free speech: One student’s battle
4. ‘No frills’ colleges seek to fill void
5. Revising FAFSA: Is it enough?
6. Take three: Club supporting abortion gets the OK
7. Job description: Must be able to ride tricycle
8. Black? Hispanic? White? Students foot the bill based on race