Abstract

PIP: Recent data demonstrate the continuation of a trend of declining teen pregnancy rates in the US. Between 1995 and 1996, the national teenage pregnancy rate fell 4% to 97.3 pregnancies/1000 women aged 15-19 years, contributing to a 17% decline since the rate peaked in 1990. Birth and abortion rates also fell during the same time period. Pregnancy rates declined for younger and older teens, Blacks, Whites, and throughout the country during the first half of this decade. However, rates vary widely by state, and the pregnancy rates among Hispanic teens increased during 1990-92, and then fell off slightly. While these new data are encouraging, the US still has one of the developed world's highest teen pregnancy rates, with almost 1 million pregnancies occurring each year among women aged 15-19 years. Most of the observed decline in teen pregnancy rates in the US is due to the somewhat more consistent and significantly more effective use of contraception among sexually active teens, although about 20% of the decline can be attributed to increased abstinence and the delayed onset of sexual intercourse. Sexually active teens' access to a range of contraceptive methods has been key to their avoiding pregnancy. The conservatives' threat to minors' access to contraceptives, teens and the need for confidentiality, and public policy implications are considered.