The Pregnancy Rate for Teen-age Girls From Ages 15 to 19 has Dropped by Six Percent.
According to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics, the pregnancy rate has fallen from 41.5 live births per thousand to 39.1 births per thousand.
Those are the statistics gathered from 2008 to 2009. Experts wonder what this decline means. Could it be the recession? Could it be the effectiveness of abstinence programs? Could it mean more contraceptive use or more abortions? Could it be the publicity garnered by single mom-- Bristol Palin and her recent campaign against teen pregnancy?
It is however, quite evident that the recession has brought stress and family tension to many households and the unanticipated arrival of a baby who must be cared for both emotionally and financially, by an unprepared teen girl and her already financially strapped parents, could bring the family to a breaking point.
The issues they must deal with are many. How will the teen mom finish her education? Who will care for the new baby? Who will pay for the infant's day care if the family can't provide it? How will a teen father contribute to the baby's upbringing and welfare? These age-old questions become even more pressing in a recession.
States Hit Hardest by the Recession had the largest drop in births
According to data gathered by the Pew Research Center earlier this year and reported on during an NPR radio interview on January 6 of this year, Senior PEW writer D'vera Cohen stated that the three states out of the 25 states studied, which had the largest decline in births, were also the three that were hardest hit by the recession. Arizona had the largest decline of births--five percent. This was followed by California and Florida which both saw a three percent decline. These states also had the some of the highest foreclosure rates.
According to an article in the Washington Post, senior PEW researcher, Gretchen Livingston, was quoted as saying, "Our evidence definitely suggested there was a link between the economic circumstances and what was going on with fertility. I suspect that's what we're seeing with those lower numbers. This fits with the historical picture as well."
Teen pregnancy has consistently dropped for the past 18 years, although it rose again during the two years preceding the recession.
Meanwhile, teenage pregnancy is still a pressing issue and programs to combat it are still in effect. From programs such as Planned Parenthood, the National Abstinence Education Association, and MTV's "16 and Pregnant series, teen pregnancy prevention is still a major focus for both government and private organizations.
Even schools have worked on this issue and a few schools have programs for teen moms to provide free day care for their babies while the moms are attending classes. In addition, they provide parenting education for the mother. The goal is to have the teen mom graduate from high school and to provide quality care for her infant while she attends classes.
According to the Post, the Obama administration has also launched a $110 million teen pregnancy prevention effort, which incorporates a range of programs including abstinence and contraception use to combat the problem.
It is rather ironic, however, that one silver lining to the Great Recession is the drop in teen pregnancies.
References: National Public Radio Interview: Drop in Overall Birthrates, Teen Pregnancies Linked to Recession--4/8/10
The Washington Post---Birthrate among teens hits record low---Wednesday 12/22/10
CDC National Center for Health Statistics-- Fast Stats-Teen Birth Rate--accessed 1/6/11
Anne McNulty - Anne is a freelance writer who lives in Queenstown, Maryland. She has contributed many articles to several Maryland magazines including ...
