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Increasing use of contraception and a
"leveling off" of youth sexual activity have reduced
US teen pregnancy rates to numbers not seen since the mid-1970s.
According to the CDC, the percentage of
US girls aged 15 to 19 who became pregnant began to rise in
the mid-1980s; reaching a peak in 1991. Since then, rates
for teen pregnancy have charted a slow but steady decline
to 1997's record low 94.3
pregnancies per 1,000 teens,
a number last seen in 1976.
Experts believe that factors such as an
increase in the use of contraception -- most notably a plateau
in rates of teen sexual activity may be behind the decline.
The report found there were
both fewer births (down 13%)
and fewer abortions (down 32%)
in teens.
Rates of pregnancy among single women
continue to decline, with 1997 rates 9% lower than those charted
in 1990. According to the CDC, less than half of pregnancies
among unmarried women ended in a live birth, with 41% of pregnant
single women opting to terminate their pregnancy.
"Trends
in Pregnancy Rates in the United States, 1976-1997: An Update"
CDC June 2, 2001
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