US Teen Pregnancy Rate Drops To Historical Low; Remains High In Red States

A new report released by Guttenmacher Institute at the beginning of May shows that the rate of teen pregnancy has declined to an all time low in the US. That's great news. Even better is the news that both the abortion rate and the rate of births in the US have also declined to historic lows.

Researchers point to the availability of contraception as a reason for the decline in all three categories. Fewer pregnancies means fewer births and fewer abortions. Along with increased access to contraception, educational programs, especially those directed at teens, also played a part in reducing the number of teen pregnancies, as well as the number of births and abortions. Access to contraception is only helpful when teens know how and when to use it.

Traditionally conservative states, like those in the west and south, had the highest rates of teen pregnancy, while traditionally liberal states, like those on the East Coast, had the lowest.

It's not hard to understand why certain areas of the country continue to experience high rates of teen pregnancy, while others have rates that are much lower. Attitudes toward contraceptive use, sex education and sex in general, play a very powerful role when it comes to influencing young people's decisions. Some conservatives view any form of birth control as equal to abortion. In teaching this totally false idea to teenagers, they encourage them to be irresponsible, rather to practice safe sex.

Abstinence programs have been shown to be ineffective when it comes to lowering the rate of teen pregnancy. Still, conservative states continue to peddle these programs, often mandating that the only sex education young people can receive must be abstinence based.

Only 13 states in the US currently require that sex education be medically accurate. Also of note, only 13 states require that potentially negative outcomes as a result of teen sexual behavior be covered in sex ed. Only 19 states require that teens be taught about contraception in sex education class. (source

The state of New Mexico requires mandatory sex education in school. The state does not require medical accuracy nor does it require that instruction include the use of contraception. It's one of 35 states that allows parents to 'opt out' of sexual education for their children.

New Mexico currently has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the United States (80 per 1,000). Other states that had the highest rates of teen pregnancy included Mississippi (76 per 1,000) Texas and Arkansas (73 per 1,000). These states continue to reject comprehensive sex education.

The state with the lowest rate of teen pregnancy was New Hampshire (28 out of 1,000). Neighboring states of Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine ranked at the bottom of the list, having some of the lowest rates of teen pregnancy in the country. These states mandate comprehensive sexual education.

Nationally, the rate of teen pregnancy is 6% (57 per 1,000). Although this rate has dropped to its lowest point in history, it still remains far above that of other developed nations.

photo credit Salon.com