U.S. teen birth rate rises first time in 15 years
Survey shows the U.S. teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years and experts blamed it on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education that doesn’t teach teens how to use condoms and other contraception, media reported Friday. The new teen birth numbers are based on the 15-19 age group of women, which accounted for most of the 440,000 births to teens in 2006. The rate rose to nearly 42 births per 1,000 in that group, up from 40.5 in 2005. That translates to an extra 20,000 births to teen mothers.
In 1991, the peak year for teen births, there were nearly 62 births per 1,000.
The reason for the increase is not clear, and federal health officials said it might be a one-year statistical blip, not the beginning of a new upward trend.
Opponents of abstinence-based programs seized on the data as evidence of wrong-headed government policy.
”Congress needs to stop knee-jerk approving abstinence-only funding when it’s clear it’s not working,” said U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., who is pushing for more comprehensive sex education.
The new report offers a state-by-state breakdown of birth rates overall. Many of those with the highest birth rates teach abstinence instead of comprehensive sex education, according to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
(Agencies)
