Good news, everyone!
Teen pregnancy and abortion rates are the lowest they’ve been in years!
Since 2008, the preggers and abortion rates have been the lowest since 1972!
The most recent data is from 2008, and they found that about 750,000 U.S. women under 20 got knocked up that year. 98% of those were between 15 and 19 years old.
That translated into a pregnancy rate of 67.8 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19, which is the lowest pregnancy rate seen since 1972 — which also happens to be the year before the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade:
It was also down 42 percent from 1990, when teen pregnancies peaked at 116.9 per 1,000 teen girls and women. The teen abortion rate in 2008 dropped to the lowest rate seen since 1972 at 17.8 per 1,000 teen girls and women, the analysis found, and was down 59 percent from 1988 when the abortion rate peaked at 43.5 per 1,000 teen women.
So what’s causing this?
Increased contraceptive use by both genders!
Even though the overall number fell, it’s also found that the number for minorities, while less, still were nearly double that of the caucasian population:
The abortion rate among black teens, meanwhile, was four times higher than the rate for their Caucasian counterparts. Abortion rates for Hispanic teens were twice as high as for their white peers.
Wow.
Pretty interesting numbers, especially with the huge argument with Obama’s administration right now, brought on by religious leaders not wanting to offer contraceptives at all. Because, you know, it’s up to them whether or not their congregation has a choice to make on their own.
Regardless of your stance, these lower numbers are a good thing!
[Image via AP Images.]