Increase in Teen Pregnancy

Posted by rfathers on January 26, 2010

Last February 11, 2009 we reported on this blog about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ report, Births: Final Data for 2006, which detailed the 3% increase in the birthrate for teenagers bringing the total annual number of births to teenage mothers between the ages of 15 and 19 to 435,436 (10.2% of total births in the U.S. in 2006).

(See that February 11th – blog entry – Births to Teenagers.)

At that time, we promised to bring you more information. Now, the Guttmacher Institute has issued two new reports, (1) U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity on Teen Pregnancy and (2) Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health. Some of the conclusions in the reports are:

• Between 1990 and 2005:
  • 41 percent decline in pregnancies among teenaged girls
  • births among teen girls decreased 35 percent
  • teen abortions declined 56 percent between 1988 and 2005

• In 2005
  • the U.S. teenage pregnancy rate reached its lowest point in more than 30 years

• In 2006:
  • the U.S. teenage pregnancy rate increased for the first time in more than a decade, rising 3%
  • 750,000 women younger than 20 became pregnant
  • about 7% of women (age 15-19) became pregnant
  • among all racial and ethnic groups, the teen birthrate reversed its downward trend
  • there were 200,420 abortions among 15–19-year-olds
  • 27% of pregnancies among 15–19-year-olds
    ended in abortion

• In 2007:
  • the teen birth rate rose for the second year in a row – about 1 percent (according to a recent U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention study released late last year and published in the Dec. 21, 2009, online edition of Pediatrics)

The Guttmacher Institute Reports

1. Kost K, Henshaw S. and Carlin L., U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, 2010, Guttmacher Institute Report.
2. Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health, Fact on Teens

Why do you think the downward trend reversed and now teen pregnancy is on the rise? What are the causes? What are the solutions? Please comment below.

Help for Combatting Teen Pregnancy

• Christianity Today – “What Works: Why Teens Choose Purity” – Why Teens Choose Purity
• Crosswalk.com- “Real Solutions to Teen Pregnancy” – Real Solutuions
• Christian Mommies – “Mothers’ Influence on Adolescent Sex – How Being Connected to Your Child Can Promote Abstinence” – Mothers’ Influence
• – “” –

I must admit that I was surprised to find very few resources on-line for this topic. If you know of any please give us the information in a comment below. Thank you!

Births to Teenagers

Posted by rfathers on February 11, 2009

One of the more significant causes of fathers being separated from their children is the incidence of Teenage Pregnancy and Birth to Teenagers.

In my book On the Outside Looking In we noted that BIRTHS TO UN-WED MOTHERS MEANS BIRTHS TO UN-WED FATHERS. The main problem here is that the mothers generally (in overwhelming numbers) get stuck with taking care of the babies while the fathers are not held accountable – as much. This creates a disadvantage for everyone, including the father because if he does not take responsibility then he does not learn to be responsible and will probably repeat the performance.

In the report cited below, it was concluded that BIRTHS TO TEENAGE MOTHERS DOES NOT MEAN BIRTHS TO TEENAGE FATHERS. More births are occurring to teenage mothers from boys and men who are older than the mothers than to teenage mothers who are impregnated by teenage boys! What does that tell you?

The Report: “Births: Final Data for 2006″

On January 7, 2009 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) released it latest report on birth in the U.S. for the year 2006. This report held some interesting statistics on teen birth rates (ages 15 to 19). Below are some highlights from the report:

Statistics

• 4,265,555 births in the United States in 2006.
• 435,436 births to teenagers, 15-19 years old (10.2% of total births).
• That is a 3% increase in the birthrate for teenagers.
• This increase in 2006 ended a 14-year period of continuous decline in the teen birth rate.
• Teenage birth rates increased in 26 states.
• Mississippi leads the nation with the highest teen birth rate, 6.8% (68 out of 1,000), New Mexico is second with 6.4% and Texas is third with 6.3%.
• New Hampshire had the lowest rate of 1.9% (19 per 1,000).
• Guttmacher Institute Researcher David Landry noted that “Its more costly for youth in the Northeast to have a teen baby than for youth in the South, in terms of opportunities they’ll miss.” Kids in mostly white New Engalnd likely would delay child birth (news.yahoo.com, 1/7/09).

Other Issues

• Health: Teen births have a elevated risk of poor birth outcomes including: low birth weight, pre-term births, infant mortality.
• Social: limited educational and financial resources available to teenage mothers.
• Social: Public cost (to the government) of teenage child bearing is about $9.1 billion yearly.
• One of the Causes: Growing media portrayals of celebrity pregnancy do not help (news.yahoo.com, 1/7/09).
• Problematic Stats on Fathers: Age of the father is not reported on birth certificates for 14% of all births, 25% of births to women younger than 25 and 36% of all unmarried births.

For More Information

• The 102 page report is entitled: “Births: Final Data for 2006″ and is published by the National Center for Health Statistics which is part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the Department of Health and Human Services. The report is available in printable pdf format: Get Report.
• Wikipedia has an interesting (although dated) article on international teenage pregnancy Wikipedia – Teen Pregnancy

We will provide more information from this report in future posts. Please let us know what you think about the information in the report in a comment below.

Post your comments below, including additional sources of information on teenage pregnancy, methods for prevention, personal experience, resources etc.