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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

US Teen Pregnancy Rate

  • Teen pregnancy rate hits 40-year low, By Joel Provano, February 8, 2012, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “The U.S. teen pregnancy rate has reached a 40-year low, a new study finds. The study, by the Guttmacher Institute, found that the pregnancy rate declined 42 percent from its peak in 1990, according to the study released Wednesday. The teen pregnancy rate in 2008 was 68 per 1,000 girls age 15-19, down from 117 per 1,000 in 1990. That means about 7 percent of girls in that age group became pregnant that year. In addition, the survey showed the birthrate declined 35 percent between 1991 and 2008, from 61.8 to 40.2 births per 1,000 teens…”
  • Teen pregnancy, abortion rates at record low, study says, By James B. Kelleher, February 8, 2012, Chicago Tribune: “Birth and abortion rates among U.S. teens fell to record lows in 2008 as increased use of contraceptives sent the overall teen pregnancy rate to its lowest level since at least 1972, a study showed on Wednesday. But disparities among racial and ethnic groups continued to persist, with black and Hispanic teens experiencing pregnancy and abortion rates two to four times higher than their white peers, the Guttmacher Institute, the nonprofit sexual health research group that conducted the analysis, said…”