May 8 is the first ever National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, and generally speaking, the news looks good: teen pregnancy rates in the U.S. are at their lowest level in 20 years, and teen birth rates are at their lowest level ever recorded. This drop is happening nationwide, in all states, and among all age and racial/ethnic groups. In addition, almost every state--42--now boasts a coalition of agencies, both public and private, dedicated to preventing teen pregnancy. According to Marisa Nightingale, Director of Media Programs for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, "If you took a snapshot of this country right now, you'd see a lot more coordinated effort at teen pregnancy prevention than there was 10, or even five years ago."

With the numbers falling in the right direction, this month might seem like a curious time to institute a national awareness day. But rates of teen pregnancy in the United States are still considerably higher than they are in any other country in the industrialized world. And if the campaign to prevent teen pregnancy meets its ambitious goal of reducing teen pregnancy by one third over the next 10 years, our nation will still have the highest rate around. This problem can hardly be said to have disappeared, at a time when four in 10 girls become pregnant at least once before the age of 20.

Teen Pregnancy as a Link to Other Social Issues
Teen pregnancy has often been thought of as a reproductive health issue--which makes sense, given that "pregnancy" and "reproductive health" are closely linked. But research has shown that links between teen pregnancy and other critical social issues are strong--issues such as poverty, welfare dependency, education levels, out-of-wedlock births, responsible fatherhood, workforce development, crime, and child abuse, to name a few. Driving this month's awareness campaign is a push to understand teen pregnancy as it relates to broader social issues.

Teen Mothers and Poverty
The economics break down like this: poverty is one of the causes of teen pregnancy, and teen pregnancy is one of the causes of poverty. Almost half of all teen mothers--and three quarters of unmarried teen mothers--began receiving welfare (government-funded programs that provide financial support, goods, and services to people who meet economic criteria for poverty) within five years of the birth of their first child. And 52% of all mothers in the country on welfare had their first child as a teenager.

Having a baby as a teen doesn't just make it hard to get a job; it makes it hard to study and finish school. Less than half of mothers who have children before age 18 ever complete high school. Without a diploma, many young women face bleak financial futures of aid dependence and minimum wage jobs.

The Impact on Child Well-Being
Poverty and welfare dependency are hardly the ideal environment for growing children. In fact, kids of teen mothers consistently do worse in school, are more likely to repeat a grade, and are less likely to complete high school than the children of older mothers. These kids also suffer higher rates of abuse and neglect than their peers with older parents.

Circumstances like this can take a toll on kids even as they, and their mothers, get older: the sons of teen mothers are 13% more likely to end up in prison, and the daughters of teen parents are 22% more likely to become teen mothers themselves.

The Marriage Factor
In today's climate, getting pregnant doesn't necessarily equal getting married. While in 1960, only 15% of teen mothers were unmarried, today 80% of teen births are to unmarried women. The fathers in these relationships pay an average of less than $800 in child support annually, often because they're poor themselves.

Teen Pregnancy: A National Issue
Taxpayers are paying at least seven billion dollars a year to cover the price of heath care, foster care, criminal justice, public assistance, and lost tax revenues directly associated with teen childbearing. Cost-benefit analyses suggest that education and prevention would be far less expensive, which is why education is the theme of this year's National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

To get involved on May 8, you can show your support for teen pregnancy prevention and assess your own awareness profile by taking a confidential 10-minute interactive quiz online at www.teenpregnancy.org. The quiz, created by teenagers, has no "right" or "wrong" answers; instead it's designed to challenge young people to think about their personal decision-making processes, when it comes to sex.

 Back to FFYR News Page