Social Policy

Fewer Teen Births

Experts say a reported decline in teen-aged births is due to abstinence and/or increased use of contraceptives, but not an increase in the number of abortions.

According to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen pregnancies have declined for the fifth straight year.

  • The birth-rate among teenagers decreased again in 1996, as it has every year beginning in 1991 -- with a bigger decline among young teenagers and especially big drops among black teenagers.

  • While the rate dropped 12 percent for teenagers overall, the decline was 21 percent among African-American teens.

  • Vermont registered the greatest decline in teen pregnancies -- a 26.9 percent drop -- while the lowest decline was in Texas, with a 3.6 percent eduction.

Source: Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "U.S. Life Expectancy Hits New High," New York Times, September 12, 1997.

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