Teen Pregnancy… Journal You are 17 and find out that you or your girlfriend is pregnant. How would you handle the situation?

Teen Pregnancy Pre-test (True or False) Teen mothers are twice as likely to die in childbirth. A child born to a teen mother is twice as likely to die before the age of one. Teen mothers are twice as likely not to finish high school. One-half of all welfare payments go to families with teen mothers. 20% of teen mothers are pregnant again before two years. 82% of girls who gave birth at age 15 or younger were born to teen parents.

Teen Pregnancy Pre-test (True or False) Most teen pregnancies happen by mistake – they were not planned. If a boy has already made plans for further education after high school, he should not have to worry about marrying a girl, even if she is pregnant. If a girl is pregnant, but the boy doesn’t want her to have the baby, he is not responsible for supporting the child financially. If the father wants custody and the mother doesn't, the father gets custody, because it's his baby.

Teen Pregnancy Pre-test (True or False) If a girl gets pregnant a guy does not need to worry about it if he does not like the girl. If a guy does not have a regular job, he will not be responsible for child support. If a couple breaks up after the girl is pregnant, the guy has no responsibility for the child. It's a girl's fault if she gets pregnant. It's not the guy's problem. The divorce rate is greater for couples with a pre-marital pregnancy than for those who conceive after marriage.

Teen Pregnancy… So what? An overview of the teen pregnancy problem in America Prepared by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy www.teenpregnancy.org January 2007

Three in ten girls get pregnant at least once before age 20. Source: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy analysis of Guttmacher Institute, U.S.. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, New York: Guttmacher Institute, September, 2006.

We’re number one…unfortunately The United States has much higher pregnancy and birth rates than other fully industrialized countries. US pregnancy rates are nearly twice as high as rates in Canada and England and seven to eight times as high as rates in Japan and the Netherlands. Singh, S., & Darroch, J.E. (2000). Adolescent pregnancy and childbearing: Levels and trends in developed countries. Family Planning Perspectives 32(1), 14-23. Pregnancy rates calculated as the sum of births, abortions, and estimated miscarriages (20 percent of births plus 10 percent of miscarriages).

The consequences of teen motherhood are many: Less likely to complete high school or college More likely to be a single mother More likely to have more children sooner on a limited income More likely to abuse or neglect the child Hoffman, D. (2006). By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Risks to children of teen mothers Growing up without a father Low birthweight and prematurity School failure Insufficient health care Abuse and neglect Poverty Incarceration (boys) Teen motherhood (girls) Hoffman, D. (2006). By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Only 40 percent of young teen mothers get their high school diploma 60% 40% Hoffman, D. (2006). By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Teen mothers are less likely to attend or complete college 24% 9% Hoffman, D. (2006). By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Taxpayers spend about $9 billion ($1,430 per teen parent) on teen childbearing The public sector costs of young teens (aged 17 and younger) are particularly high and account for $8.6 billion of costs, an average of $4,080 per mother annually. Hoffman, D. (2006). By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

More than 80 teen girls get pregnant each hour More than 760,000 teen pregnancies occurred in 2002. To put it another way, more than 80 U.S. teens become pregnant each hour. More than one third of these pregnancies were to girls under age 18, and 65 percent were to girls aged 18-19. Total: 764,160 494,650 252,170 17,340 Guttmacher Institute, U.S.. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, New York: Guttmacher Institute, September, 2006.

We’ve Made Progress National Teen Pregnancy Rates, 1972-2002 (number of pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 15-19) After increasing 23 percent between 1972 and 1990 (including 10 percent between 1987 and 1990), the teen pregnancy rate for girls (15-19) decreased 36 percent between 1990 and 2002 to a record low. There is much to celebrate – in terms of reducing teen pregnancy and birth rates, in all states and among all ethnic and racial groups. The Wall Street Journal recently called the reduction in teen pregnancy “a rare public health victory.” The Alan Guttmacher Institute. (2006). U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity. New York, NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute.

Teen Pregnancy Rates by Race/Ethnicity, 1990-2002 Teen pregnancy rates, and rates of decline, also vary substantially among racial/ethnic subgroups. Between 1990 and 2002, teen pregnancy rates declined 45% among non-Hispanic White girls, 40% among African-American girls, and 19% among Hispanic girls. The decline for all teens was 36%. The Alan Guttmacher Institute. (2006). U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity. New York, NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute.

Each year, more than 400,000 teens give birth In 2002, just over one-half of teen pregnancies to girls aged 15-19 ended in birth, about one-third ended in abortion, and 14 percent ended in miscarriage. 106,580 425,493 214,750 The Alan Guttmacher Institute. (2006). U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity. New York, NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute.

47 teen girls give birth each hour More than 400,000 teen births occurred in 2005. To put it another way, more than 47 U.S. teens give birth each hour. Thirty-two percent of these births were to girls under age 18, and 66 percent were to girls aged 18-19. Total: 421,124 281,269 6,717 133,138 Hamilton, B.E., Martin, J.A., & Ventura, S.J. (2006). Preliminary Data for 2005. Health E-Stats. Released November 21, 2006.

State teen pregnancy rates, 2000 (pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 15-19) Teen pregnancy rates vary widely by state, ranging from 42 per 1,000 in North Dakota to 113 per 1,000 in Nevada. 101-113 per 1,000 56-70 per 1,000 86-100 per 1,000 71-85 per 1,000 42-55 per 1,000 The Alan Guttmacher Institute. (2006). U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity. New York, NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute.

Changes in teen pregnancy rates, 1992-2000 (pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 15-19) Teen pregnancy rates declined in every state between 1992 and 2000; declines ranged from 4.9 percent in Wyoming to 39.6 percent in California. 24.2-25.9% decline 26.0-39.6% decline 21.8-23.6% decline 4.9-18.5% decline 19.1-21.5% decline The Alan Guttmacher Institute. (2006). U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity. New York, NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute.

More to Feel Good About National Teen Birth Rates, 1940-2005 (number of births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19) From 1940 to 1957, the teen birth rate increased 78% to a record high. The birth rate dropped fairly steadily from the end of the 1950s through the mid-1980s, but then increased 23% between 1986 and 1991. Between 1991 and 2005*, the teen birth rate decreased 35% to a record low of 40.4 in 2005. *Data for 2005 are preliminary. Birth rate is at an all time low at 40.4/1000. Overall, the teen birth rate decreased 35% between 1991 and 2005. Ventura, S.J., Mathews, T.J, & Hamilton, B.E. (2001). Births to Teenagers in the United States: 1940-2000. National Vital Statistics Reports, 49(10).; Hamilton, B.E., Martin, J.A., & Ventura, S.J. (2006). Preliminary Data for 2005. Health E-Stats. Released November 21, 2006.

Teen Birth Rates by Race/Ethnicity 1980-2005* Teen birth rates, and rates of decline, vary substantially among the largest racial/ethnic subgroups. Between 1991 and 2005*, teen birth rates declined 46% for African-Americans, 37% for Native Americans, 40% for non-Hispanic Whites, 38% for Asian/Pacific Islanders, and 22% for Hispanics. The decline for all teens was 35%. *Data for 2005 are preliminary. SKIP OVER FACTOIDS RE UNEVEN PROGRESS AMONG ETHNIC/RACIAL GROUPS: Teen pregnancy rates remain nearly twice as high for African-Americans as whites. ·        Latina teens currently have the highest teen birth rate (and it increased slightly from 2003 to 2004). ·        Eight states have seen a rise in teen birth rates for Asian/Pacific Islander teens. ·        Native American high school students report higher rates of sexual activity than the national average. To sustain progress, we must give special support to communities with the highest rates Hispanic teens currently make up 14.3 percent of the total U.S. teen population. By 2005, nearly 1 in 5 teens in the U.S. will be Hispanic. If this community’s high rates of teen pregnancy and birth are not addressed, reaching our goal of reducing overall U.S. teen pregnancy rates becomes harder. The teen birth rate for whites in the U.S. is still higher than the rate in other industrial countries. This is not a problem unique to minority communities. Births to Teenagers in the United States: 1940-2000. National Vital Statistics Reports, 49(10).; Martin, J.A., Hamilton, B.E., Sutton, P.D., Ventura, S.J., Menacker, F. & Kirmeyer, S. (2006). Hamilton, B.E., Martin, J.A., & Ventura, S.J. (2006). Preliminary Data for 2005. Health E-Stats. Released November 21, 2006.

Number of teen births by birth order, 2005 (births to girls aged 15-19) Four-fifths of all teen births are first births. Of the other 20 percent, 17 percent are births to teens who already have one child, 3 percent are births to teens who already have two children, less than one percent are fourth or higher-order births, and less than one percent of births do not have a birth order stated on the birth certificate. Total: 414,406 (69,176) (10,754) (331,340) (1,472) (1,664) Hamilton, B.E., Martin, J.A., & Ventura, S.J. (2006). Preliminary Data for 2005. Health E-Stats. Released November 21, 2006.

Proportion of teen births to unmarried teens, 2005 (births to teens aged 15-19) Of the 400,000 births to teens aged 15-19 in 2005, 82.8 percent were to unmarried teens. 71,430 342,976 Hamilton, B.E., Martin, J.A., & Ventura, S.J. (2006). Preliminary Data for 2005. Health E-Stats. Released November 21, 2006.

“If you’ve had sexual intercourse, do you wish you had waited longer?” Nearly two-thirds of teens who have had sex wish they had waited.

Of those that have had sex, more than one-half of teen boys (55%) and the overwhelming majority of teen girls (72%) said they wish they had waited longer to have sex. The majority of older teens (15-17 years old) surveyed also wish they had waited longer to have sex. Nearly six in ten older teens (58%) said they wish they waited longer to have sex.

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