Teen pregnancy in the U.S. down but not out

The good news is that teen pregnancies have continued to drop by roughly 10 percent a year since 2012. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that although the reasons aren’t clear, teens seem to be less sexually active and are better educated about birth control.

However, we’re still talking about over a quarter of a million babies being born to teenagers last year. That’s a bushel of babies. About one in four of these women were under 17.

“Giving birth during the teen years has been linked with increased medical risks and emotional, social and financial costs to the mother and her children,” the CDC’s website says. “Becoming a teen mom affects whether the mother finishes high school, goes to college, and the type of job she will get, especially for younger teens ages 15 to 17. More can be done to prevent younger teens from becoming pregnant, particularly in health care.”

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